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We    Boys. 


Written  by  One  of  Us  for  the  Amusejient  of 

Pa's  and  Ma's  in  General,  Aunt 

LoviSA  IN  Particular. 


BOSTON: 

ROBERTS     BROTHERS. 

1876. 


copteight,  1s76. 
By  Eobekts  Beotiieks. 


Stcreotin"  <i  end  PrhUcJ  hy 
AliPKED     MUDGE     &     Sou 


co]^te:n'ts. 


CHAPTER  I, 
Introduces  two  of  us  Boys 5 

CHAPTER  II. 
A  BiTTEK  "Wednesday      .......  11 

CHAPTER  in. 
A  Sweet  Saturday 25 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  School  Day  with  us  Boys 36 

CHAPTER  Y. 
Forebodings  and  Festivities         .....  48 

CHAPTER  VL 
Will  and  I  take  a  Ride 62 

CHAPTER  YII. 
Consequences  of  Our  Ride 80 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

I  AM  CARED   FOR 91 


2  COXTENTS. 

CHArTEE  IX. 

COXVALESCING 107 

CHAPTER  X. 
We  ;Masqueeadk 124 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Results  of  Our  Masquerade 1C6 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Further  Exploits 131 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Ik  the  "Woods 172 

CHAPTER  XIY. 
Cats,  Dogs,  etc 183 

CHAPTER  XV, 
Examination  and  Exhibition        .     '  .        .        .        .        203 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Conclusion  ky  Order  of  Aunt  Lovisa       .        .        .        224 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
How  We  turn  out 2"3 


We  Boys. 


AUTHOR'S    NOTE. 

June  15,  18 — . 

7,  Boh  Brotvn,  begin  tJiis  tvriting  on  a  lot  of 
bluish  paper  I've  found  in  the  lov-er  drawer  vf 
the  secretary,  and  that  mother  says  I  may  have 
for  my   own. 


"WE     BOYS. 


' '  WILL   BRADLEY   AND   I. 


CIIAPTEE      I. 
INTRODUCES   TWO   OF   US   BOYS. 

-T-jr-rlLL  BEADLEY  and  I  live  in  Baywa- 
^^  tor,  State  of  Massachusetts.  ^Ve  belong 
to  that  portion  of  the  inhabitants  called  "  small 
boys,"  but  we  always  go  to  town-meeting  and 
hurrah  for  the  man  who's  elected  just  as   if 


O  WE  BOYS. 

we'd  voted  for  him.  Will  says  that's  one  of 
the  advantages  of  not  being  of  age.  After 
we  "re  twenty-one  we  can't  shout  unless  our 
man  's  elected ;  now  we  are  sure  of  the  shout- 
ing anyway.  Will's  father  is  a  democrat,  and 
believes  the  republicans  are  ruining  the  coun- 
try, but  Will  hurrahs  for  the  republicans  until 
he's  purple  in  the  face.  My  father  is  a  re- 
publican, and  believes  the  democrats  would 
bring  disgrace  and  ruin  upon  the  nation,  but 
I  've  scraped  the  skin  off  my  throat  time  and 
again  yelling  for  a  democrat. 

Will  and  I  are  those  two  boys  Avho,  a  good 
deal  of  the  time,  stand  on  the  porch  or  around 
the  hitching-p(-sts  in  front  of  Bradley  &  Co.'s 
store.  We  are  blowing  into  the  horses'  nostrils, 
or  watching  for  something  to  come  up  the 
street.  When  a  man  of  about  our  size  appears 
we  hail  him  with  the  inquiry  whether  he  has 
any  marbles  about  him ;  provided  he  has,  and 
his  mother  isn't  in  a  hurry  about  his  biingino- 
home  the  sugar,  we're  the  two  boys  who,  with 
a  third  boy  and  one  other,  are  playing  marbles 
iu  the  rear  of  the  horse-sheds. 


INTRODUCES  TWO  OF  US  BOYS.  i 

Will's  father  is  in  the  dry-goods  and  grocery 
business,  and  Will  says  if  there's  anything 
he  hates  it  is  dry-goods  and  groceries.  My 
father  is  cashier  of  the  Baywater  Bank,  and  I 
do  think  a  cashier  s  is  the  stupidest  business  I 

Will  and  I  go  to  the  same  schwol.  We've 
always  been  to  the  same  school  and  been  in 
the  same  class  since  we  learned  to  spell  "a 
man,"  "a  boy,"  "a  girl"  in  Hillard's  Eirst 
Primary.  Will  hasn't  been  a  much  better 
scholar  than  I  am.  I  heard  his  mother  and 
mine  talking  about  it  once.  My  mother  said 
that  arithmetic  seemed  to  come  hard  to  me,  and 
Will's  mother  said  so  it  did  to  W^ill.  Will's 
mother  said  that  he  did  n't  take  to  geography 
naturally,  and  my  mother  said  no  more  did  I. 
Then  both  our  mothers  said  we  did  n't  appear 
to  have  much  taste  for  grammar ;  grammar  was 
so  dry  they  said  they  didn't  wonder.  My 
mother  said  she  did  n't  believe  in  boys  studying 
too  hard,  it  undermined  the  constitution.  Will's 
mother  said  she  thought  there  was  danger  of 
weak  eyes  from  it. 

I  told  Will,  and  we  both  agreed  with   our 


8  WE  BOYS. 

mothers.  "Let's  draw  it  easy,  Bol) ! "  said 
Will,   and  then  we  both  fell  a-o:Ii2:2rlin2r. 

We  sit  together  in  school,  and  Will  is  a 
capital  fellow  to  sit  beside.  He  can  make  the 
nicest  kind  of  paper  wheels  to  buzz  around  on 
a  pin,  and  can  draw  old  women  in  ruffled  night- 
caps. He  always  has  something  interesting  in 
his  pockets,  — windmills,  dancing  cork-figures, 
strips  of  elastic  tape,  grasshoppers  tied  together 
with  a  thread,  or  bumble-bees  shut  up  in  a  tin 
box. 

Out  of  a  piece  of  wood  and  a  bit  of  hoop- 
skirt  steel  he  contrived  a  kind  of  spiing-guu 
with  which  we  can  shoot  off  peas  and  beans. 
We  each  of  us  have  one. 

One  day  when  Almira  Harris  and  the  master 
were  explaining  algebra  at  the  blackboard, 
Will  aimed  a  bean  at  Almira's  back- hair,  but 
it  missed,  and  went  plump  against  the  black- 
board. The  master  turned  around.  Will's 
hand  was  raised,  and  his  forehead  knotted  up 
in  wrinkles  :  ho  was  trvins;  to  find  "  what  three 
large  rivcfs  fiow  into  the  Bay  of  Bengal." 

The  master  boxed  Tommy  Taylor  on  one  car 


INTRODUCES  TWO  OF  US  BOYS.  9 

for  snapping  off  tho  bean,  and  on  the  other  ear 
for  starting  to  say  he  did  n't  snap  it ;  boxed  me 
on  both  ears  for  laughing ;  and  told  Will  that 
the  three  rivers  were  the  Ganges,  Brahmapootra, 
and  Irrawaddy.  Then  he  turned  back  to  the 
blackboard  and  to  Almira,  and  Will  fired  at 
Susanna  Auastasia  Vallandigham,  —  we  call  her 
Sue,  for  short,  —  and  hit  her  on  the  cheek. 
Sue  put  i!ip  her  baud,  and  said  she,  "  Someun  's 
snapping  beans." 

The  master  turned  around  in  his  sternest  way. 
"Who  dare  shoot  beans  again?"  asked  he. 

We  all  looked  around  to  see  who  it  was. 
Tommy  Taylor  had  his  head  down  on  the  desk 
cryino",  so  we  knew  it  could  n't  be  he.  I  looked 
hard  at  Cynthia  Strong,  as  if  I  strongly  sus- 
pected it  was  she,  and  Will  put  his  finger  on 
the  map  of  China,  so  as  not  to  lose  the  place, 
and  looked  at  her  as  if  he  had  n't  any  doubts 
but  that  it  was  she.  Cynthia  is  surly  and  a 
tell-tale,  and  we  boys  detest  her,  but  I  don't 
think  we  did  quite  right  there. 

No  one  told  who  it  was,  and  after  Will  had 
said4ie  didn't  remember  the  name  ofthG  second 


10  wi:  BOYS. 

river  that  flowed  into  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  and 
the  master  had  said  "  Brahmapootra,"  he  turned 
to  the  blackboard  again.  By  and  by  Will 
fired  another  bean  at  the  master's  back.  It  hit 
him  fairly  between  the  shoulders  ;  but  Almira 
was  crying  then  because  she  didn't  understand 
radical  signs,  the  master  was  trying  to  comfort 
her,  and  never  knew  that  he  was  a  dead 
man. 

Oh  !  Will  is  a  jolly  boy,  and  he  and  I  are  the 
best  of  friends.  I  am  going  to  write  about 
some  of  the  thin«:s  we  do. 


A  BITTER   WEDNESDAY.  11 


CHAPTEE    II. 

A    BITTER    WEDNESDAY. 

/^NE  out  of  every  two  "Wednesdays  the  girls 
^^  in  our  school  read  compositions  and  the 
boys  declaim.  Our  class  have  n't,  until  this 
terra,  had  a  part  in  these  exercises,  hut  after  the 
master  had  dismissed  school  the  day  "Will  and 
I  had  such  good  luck  in  shooting,  he  called  our 
class  up  to  his  desk,  and  told  us  that  he 
expected  us  to  take  part  in  the  exercises  the 
next  WednesJay. 

"We  all  shrugged  our  shoulders  and  some  of 
us  said,  "  Oh  gracious ! "  Nellie  Royce  and 
Eose  Payson  began  to  cry  and  to  say  they 
could  n't  write  a  composition,  and  could  n't 
read  it  if  they  wrote  one.  Sue  Vallandigham 
went  after  her  shawl,  muttering  that  she 
would  n't  come  on  "Wednesday. 

"Oh,  yes  you  will,  Sue,"  said  Homer 
Sharpe  ;  "you  always  bluster  badly  in  the  begin- 


12  WE  BOYS. 

ning,  but  in  the  end  you  do  just  as  the  other 
girls  do." 

Sue  flirted  her  shawl-fringe  in  his  face,  and 
said  she  would  like  to  know  what  boys  were 
made  for. 

"jNIade  to  be  a  comfort  to  girls  in  times  of 
affliction,"  said  Homer. 

Cynthia  Strong,  who  was  just  behind  Sue, 
and  who  always  has  to  put  in  her  word,  said 
they  were  nothing  but  a  torment. 

"Miss  Strong,"  said  Homer,  falling  back 
with  Cynthia,  "  if  it  '11  relieve  your  feelings  I  '11 
write  your  composition  for  you." 

Cynthia  scorned  to  reply,  except  by  elevat- 
ing her  pugnacious  little  nose. 

Will  had  heard  his  father  tell  about  speaking 
the  "Battle  of  Hoheulinden"  when  he  was  a 
boy,  and  Will  thought  he  should  like  that.  I 
went  over  to  Mr.  Bradley's  that  evening,  and 
we  hunted  up  an  old  reading-book,  and  found 
the  poem.  On  the  opposite  page  was  one  that 
Will  thousrht  would  be  the  thino;  for  me.  It 
was  about  Marco  Bozzaris.  I  wonder  who  he 
was,  anyway.     It  was   too   long    for   me,  but 


A  BITTER   WEDNESDAY.  13 

Will  said  the  first  two  verses  would  be  a  great 
plenty,  and  I  thought,  myself,  it  would  be 
quite  as  impressive  to  finish  oflT  with, — 

"  Strike  —  for  your  altars  and  your  fires  ! 
Strike  —  for  the  green  graves  of  your  sires, 
God  and  your  native  land  !  " 

When  I  told  my  mother  about  it,  she  said 
that  was  n't  suitable  for  me,  and  wished  me  to 
learn  something  out  of  a  gilt-edged  book  of 
hers,  but  that  was  so  tame  I  plead  ofi". 

After  the  classes  had  read  Wednesday  after- 
noon, the  master  called  the  large  girls  out  to 
read  compositions,  and  after  those,  the  girls  in 
cur  class.  First  came  Rose  Payson  and  Nellie 
Eoyce ;  but  Rose  read  so  low  and  so  fast  we 
could  n't  understand  her,  and  Nellie's  voice 
trembled  so  much  we  did  n't  like  to  look  at 
her.    ' 

Hattie  Davis  and  Molly  Hammond  came 
next,  and  after  them,  Cynthia  Strong  and  Sue 
Vallandigham. 

Cynthia  walked  on  to  the  platform,  with  a 
little  flirt  to  her  clothes,  and  began  reading 
before  Sue  Avas  hardly  in  position.     Will  and  I 


14 


WE  BOYS. 


committed  her  composition  to  memory,  and 
now,  when  she  's  particularly  obstreperous,  we 
say  it  over  to  her:  — 

FLOWERS. 

"Who  does  not  love  flowers?  There  are 
many  kinds  of  flowers.  I  will  mention  some 
of  them:  petunias,  marigolds,  holly  hocks, 
roses,  and  sweet  peas.  There  is  also  larkspur,' 
verbenas,  and  oleanders.  Trailing  arbutus 
grows  wild.     So  no  more  for  this  time." 

The  title  of  Sue's  composition  was  "Self- 
Education."     It  was  largely  moral. 

She  said  that  self-education  was  the  best 
kind  of  education,  and  that  if  we  did  n't  get  an 
education  while  we  re  young,  we  should  n't  have 
one  when  we  grew  older.  She  said  we  ought  to 
study  and  improve  our  time  in  school,  aiid  not 
be  drawing  pictures  on  our  slates  nor  playing 
t]t,  tat,  too  (there  is  n't  a  scholar  in  scliool 
who  plays  tit,  tat,  too,  as  much  as  Sue  does)  ; 
and  then  she  said  we  should  be  prepared  to 
"fight  the  battles  of  life.  Almost  all  the  men 
we  read  about  in  books  were  self-educated  men. 


A  BITTER   WEDNESDAY.  15 

George  Washington,  Daniel  Webster,  Alexander 
the  Great,  :N'ero,  Cicero,  and  Benjamin  Franklin 
were  all  self-educated  men,  and  so  might  we  be 
if  we  would  only  try,  and  we  should  bo  glad  of 
it  all  our  lives.  She  hoped  we  should  all  make 
up  our  minds  to  be  self-educated  men,  and  come 
to  school  steady,  not  be  tardy,  but  try  to  please 
our  teacher,  and  so  make  useful,  self-educated 
men. 

When  she  finished,  the  master  said  there 
were  some  errors  in  her  enumeration  of  self- 
educated  men;  but  I  didn't  understand  Avhat 
they  were,  for  Will  had  his  hands  under  the 
desk  just  then,  making  deaf-and-dumb  letters 
to  me. 

The  master  said  we  would  listen  to  the 
declamations. 

\^  e  have  some  powerful  speakers  in  our 
school.  I  've  heard  Wendell  Phillips  and  I  Ve 
heard  Mr.  Gough,  but  neither  of  them  can  stir 
me  up  as  Gustus  Flillman  or  Isaac  Tucker  can. 

Gustiis'  declamation  this  afternoon  was  the 
speech  of  a  Thraciau  gladiator.  Gustus  has  a 
round,  fat  face  and  a  snubb)-  nose,  1)ut  he  has 


IG  WE  BOYS. 

a  powerful  voice,  and  makes  a  tremendous  gladi- 
ator.    He  aroused  my  sympathy  in  the  very 
beginning,  and  when  he  told  how  the  Romans 
butchered    his    brother,    "a    beautiful    y-uth, 
scarce  seventeen  summers  old,"  I  felt  as  it   I 
wanted  to  run  them  through  with  my  dagger ; 
when  he  told  how  fierce  and  mad  with  blood  ho 
had   become,  and   how  many  Eomans  he   had 
slain,  I  did  n't  blame  him  at  all ;  but  when  he 
raised  his  hands  and  eyes  to  the  heavens,  and 
appealed  to  the  gods  above  to   hear  him,  my 
heart  fairly  stood  still. 

When  he  made  his  final  bow  to  the  school,  and 
returned  through  the  aisle,  past  my  seat,  I  felt 
terribly  depressed  and   discouraged  about  my 
"piece."     It  seemed  as  if  anything  I  could  do 
would  be  miserably  poor  in  comparison  with  this. 
Ike   immediately  took  the   floor.     Ike   is  a 
rather    thin,    long-legged     fellow,    not    very 
handsome,  but  I  call  him  a  splendid  speaker. 
He  has  such  long  arms  he  can  make  splendid 
o-esturcs.     When  he  made  his  bow  he  scraped 
back  his  foot  with  considerable  noise,  then  in 
a  loud  voice  announced,  — 


A  BITTER   WEDNESDAY.  17 

THE    TAKING    OF    WARSAW. 

"  When  leagued  oppression  poured  to  :N"orthern  wars 
Her  whiskered  pandoors  and  her  fierce  hussars, 
Waved  her  dread  standard  in  the  breeze  of  morn, 
Pealed  her  loud  drum  and  twanged  her  trumpet-horn, 
TumuJtuous  horror  brooded  o'er  the  van, 
Presaging  wrath  to  Poland  — and  to  man  I  " 

I  can't  repeat  any  further,  but  I  know  that 

at  one  time  Ike  waved   his  arm  on   high   and 

begged  his  fellow-men  to  rise,  and  swear  for  the 

country  to  hve  or  with  her  to  die.     I,  for  one, 

would  have  rose  in  a  minute  if  the  other  boys 

would.     When   he    hissed    out,    "Revenge   or 

death   the  watch-word  and   reply,"   I   grasped 

my  spring-gun ;  but  when  "  Freedom  shrieked 

and  Kosciusko  fell,"  I  thought  my  hair  would 

stand  up  straight.     Then  he  sunk  his  voice  to  a 

low  tone,  and  told   how  the    sun  went   down, 

and  the  battle  went  on,  and  there  was  fire  and 

blood-dyed   water  and   storm,  shaking   of  the 

earth,   and    a   thousand    hopeless   shrieks    for 

mercy,  — 

" I'ed  meteors  flashed  along  the  sky, 

And  conscious  ^Nature  shuddered  at  the  cry." 
2 


18  WE  BOYS. 

Ike  wound  up,  calling  loudly  for  "the  patriot 
Tell  and  Bruce  of  Bannockburn."  Those  gen- 
tlemen, had  they  come,  would  probably  have 
set  thinsjs  ri2;ht  a2;ain. 

o  o  o 

After  Ike  came  the  other  large  boys,  and  then 
we  small  boys.  Charlie  Pays(m  spoke  "  A 
Child's  Address  to  a  Star."  It  was  n't  "Twinkle, 
twinkle,"  but  it  was  about  as  childish.  Homer 
Sharpe  had  something  from  a  uewspapor.  It 
was  funny  and  made  the  scholars  laugh,  but 
Will  wrote  on  the  slate  that  it  was  n't  classical, 
like  mine  and  his. 

"Will  was  called  directly  after  Homer.  He 
had  n't  studied  his  "  piece  "  hardly  at  all,  and  I 
was  so  afraid  he  could  n't  say  it  that  my  checks 
flamed  up  and  my  knees  shook.  Wiil  is  one 
of  those  boys,  though,  who  think  they  can  go 
through  anything,  and  he  marched  out  and  took 
the  floor  just  as  Ike  had  done.  He  made  a  very 
low  bow,  and  in  a  sepulchral  voice  began,  — 

,     "  On  Linden,  when  the  sun  was  low, 
All  bloodless  lay  the  untrodden  snow. 
And  dark  as  midnight  was  the  tiow 
Of  Iser  rolling  rai)idly. 


A  BITTER   WEDNESDAY.  19 

"  Bui  Linden  saw  another  sight 
When  the  drums  beat  at  dead  of  night," 

"When  the  drums  beat  at  dead  of  nio-ht— " 
Pie  couldn't  go  any  further.  The  master 
prompted;  Will  repeated,  aud  again  he  came 
to  a  dead  stop.  The  master  prompted  again ; 
Will  said  a  few  words  more,  couldn't  think, 
skipped  three  or  four  lines,  and  then  struck  in 
strongly. 

Just  as  i\\Q  Iser  was  rolling  rapidly  the  second 
time  I  put  my  hand  in  my  pocket  for  my  hand- 
kerchief and  hit  my  spring-gun.  It  struck  me 
that  it  would  be  a  good  joke  to  just  pop  a  beau 
into  Will's  face.  So  I  pulled  out  the  gun, 
loaded  her  up,  and  fired.  The  charge  took  him 
right  in  the  eye.  He  jumped,  and  the  bean 
went  ratthng  off  on  the  floor. 

"Pause  for  a  moment,  Bradley,"  said  the 
master,  looking  over  the  scholars. 

"'Twas  him,  sir,"  said  Cynthia  Strong,  point- 
ing her  stubby  fore-finger  at  me. 

The  blood  bounded  into  my  face,  and  the 
pupils  of  my  eyes  must  have  grown  large. 

"Robert  Brown,  were  y(ju  discharging  projec- 
tiles across  the  school-room,  sir  ?" 


20  WE  BOYS. 

"Were  I  what,  sir?" 

"  Were  you  firin;;^  beans,  sir?" 

I  dropped  my  head,  aud  whispered,  "Yes, 
sir." 

"  You  may  stand  in  your  seat.  I  will  attend 
to  your  case  very  shortly,  sir." 

I  didn't  pay  any  further  attention  to  Will,  but 
I  knew  when  he  was  through,  for  the  master 
said,  "  Young  Brown  may  walk  this  way." 

I  walked  out  towards  the  master's  desk. 

"  You  may  step  upon  the  platform,  face  the 
school,  and  apologlzo  for  disorderly  conduct," 
said  he. 

I  stepped  up  to  the  place  he  indicated.  All 
the  large  boys  and  small  boys,  all  the  big  girls 
and  little  girls,  were  looking  at  me.  The  room 
was  so  still  you  could  hive  heard  a  pin  drop. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  floor  was  sinking  underneath 
me,  and  yet  I  could  n't  go  out  of  sight.  Oh, 
dear,  dear!  how  I  wished  I'd  never  shot  off  that 
bean  !  I  wished  I  'd  njver  seen  a  bean,  never 
seen  a  spring-gun  either.  My  heart  was  up  in 
my  mouth,  my  throat  was  dry,  I  couldn't 
speak. 

"  Quick  I  "  said  the  master. 


A  BITTER   WEDNESDAY.  21 

''  Please  excuse  me  —  "  gasped  I. 

"  For  disorderly  conduct,"  said  the  master. 

"For  dis  )rderly  conduct,"  repeated  I. 

"Very  well,  sir,"  said  he,  "don't  let  such  a 
misdemeanor  occur  again.  You  may  stand  a 
little  farther  down  this  way,  and  we  will  listen 
to  your  declamation." 

I  knew  my  declamation  was  about  Marco 
Bozzaris,  and  that  was  all  I  did  know  about  it. 

I  made  my  bow,  and  said, — 

"  Marco  Bozzaris." 

I  had  been  repeating  the  lines  over  to  myself 
all  the  afternoon,  but  now  I  couldn't  think  of 
one  word  of  them.  Will  had  the  book,  and 
commenced  for  me  :  — 

"  At  midnight,  in  his  guarded  tent." 
"  At  midnight,  in  his  guarded  tent," 
said  I. 

"  The  Turk  was  dreaming  of  the  hour," 
put  in  Will. 

"  The  Turk  was  dreaming  of  the  hour," 

repeated  I. 


22  WE  BOYS. 

"  When  Greece,  her  knee  in  suppliance  bent, 
Should  tremble  at  his  power," 

said  Will. 

"  When  Greece,  her  knee  in  suppliance  bent, 
Should  tremble  at  his  power," 

said  I. 

Will  supposed  that  after  that  start  I  should 
be  able  to  go  on ;  but  I  was  n't.  I  tried  to 
remember  what  came  next,  but  I  could  n't.  I 
could  n't  think  of  anything  but  just  "  The  frog 
he  would  a-wooing  go,  a-wooing  go,  't  rinktimi, 
rinktum,  botti-metti  kimo."  That  ran  through 
my  head  over  and  over  again. 

It  seemed  as  if  the  blood  would  burst  through 
my  face.  Will,  I  knew,  was  distressed.  Some 
of  the  girls  began  to  titter. 

"You  may  have  your  seat,  Rob,"  said  the 
master. 

I  went  to  my  seat,  put  my  head  down  upon 
my  desk,  and  did  n't  look  up  until  after  school 
was  out.  Will  kept  nudging  me  and  nudging 
me. 

As  soon  as  school  was  dismissed,  the  boys, 
large  and  small,  came  flocking  around  me. 


A  BITTER    WEDNESDAY.  23 

"Never  miud,  Bob,"  said  Ed.  Hammond, 
"you'll  do  better  next  time." 

"Yes,  Bob,"  said  Ike,  "and  you  took  your 
sentence  like  a  little  hero." 

"You're  a  regular  little  Roman,  Bob;  and 
if  some  one  '11  write  a  poem  about  you,  Ike  and 
I  will  do  you  justice  in  the  oratorical  line,"  said 
Gustus. 

Will  had  my  hand  in  his,  squeezing  it. 

"  Come,  Bobberty,"  said  he,  "you  and  I  must 
'strike  for  our  homes,  our  altars,  and  our 
fires.' " 

I  wiped  my  eyes  and  lifted  up  my  head. 

All  the  large  boys  bade  me  good-by,  and 
filed  out.  Charhe  Payson  brought  my  cap,  and 
slapped  it  on  my  head,  and  we  started  off. 

When  I  reached  home,  mother,  with  my  lit- 
tle brother  Freddy,  had  gone  out  making  calls, 
,  and  Aunt  Lovisa  was  runuinor  the  sewino-  ma- 
chine  ;  so  there  was  no  one  to  ask  me  any  ques- 
tions. 

I  was  afraid  mother  would  hear  about  my 
having  been  "  called  up  "  in  school,  or  that  some 
one   would  tell  my  father, .  and  I  knew  they 


24  WE  BOYS. 

would  bo  terribly  ashamed  of  me.  But  when 
they  came  home,  they  did  n't  appear  to  know 
anything  about  it,  nor  did  my  father  ask  mo,  as 
he  sometimes  does,  how  school  went.  I  was 
very  glad  of  that. 


A  SWEET  SATURDAY.  25 


CHAPTER    III. 

A  SWEET  SATURDAY, 

SATURDAY  morning  my  mother  wanted  to 
^^  make  some  gingerbread,  and  as  the  mo- 
lasses was  all  gone,  she  sent  me  down  to  }Jr. 
Bradley's  store  for  some  more. 

Frank  Simmons,  the  clerk,  had  just  knocked 
out  the  head  of  a  hogshead  from  which  the 
molasses  had  been  drawn  off,  and  Will  was 
down  on  his  knees  before  it,  eating  out  the  soft 
su^-ar  with  his  fin<>:ers.  He  said  that  his  father 
had  given  him  the  sugar,  and  he  was  going  to 
melt  it  into  syrup,  and  sell  it  back  to  him. 

"Run  home  with  your  jug,  Bobberty,  and 
then  come  back  and  help  mc,"  said  he. 

1  ran  home  so  fast  that  the  molasses  slopped 
up  and  down,  and  out  around  the  cork  of  my 
jug.     Mother  gave  me  permission  to  return. 

''I  should  not  think  you  would  allow  it, 
Almira.      He  and  that    Bradley  boy   run   the 


26  WE  BOYS. 

streets  altogother  too  much  already,"  said  my 
Auut  Lovisa. 

"  He  is  n't  going  to  run  the  streets,  Lovisa," 
replied  my  mother. 

I  wish  Auut  Lovisa  would  n't  meddle  with 
my  auairs  quite  so  much  as  she  does ;  she  is  n't 
my  mother  nor  my  father  either. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  store  Will  had  taken 
out  two  pailfuls  of  sugar,  and  was  in  the  hogs- 
head still  scraping.  He  invited  me  in,  but  said 
I  must  bo  careful  about  sittbig  down. 

When  we  went  up  to  the  house  with  the 
suGrar,  and  Will  told  his  mother  he  was  going 
to  melt  it  over,  she  scowled,  but  on  looking  at 
him,  she  began  laughing. 

"  Are  you  going  to  boil  yourself  up  ?  " 

"  Xo,  I  'm  not.  But  you  just  help  us  a  little, 
—  get  us  going  straight,  you  know,  won't  you?  " 

She  said  she  supposed  she  should,  but  she 
had  better  send  for  Mrs.  Donovan  to  follow  us 
up  with  the  scrubbing  cloth.  Will  promised  to 
be  Very,  rcry  careful. 

"Yes,  I  know;  boys  always  are  careful," 
said  she. 


A  SWEET  SATURDAY.  27 

She  put  the  sugar  melting,  cautioned  us 
ao:ainst  cominij  into  the  sittinsr-room,  because  we 
should  stick  to  everything  there,  and  went  off. 

AVe  stuffed  the  wood  into  the  stove,  and  the 
room  grew  so  hot  and  steamy  thit  we  c(/ald 
hardly  breathe.  Will  thrust  his  head  into  the 
sitting-room,  and  begged  to  go  in  there ;  but 
his  mother  said,  no,  we  must  stay  and  watch 
our  syrup  ;  it  was  liable  to  run  over. 

It  didn't  look  much  like  running  over;  it 
was  n't  half-way  up  to  the  top  of  the  kettle. 

"Run  over?  No!"  said  Will.  "I'm  more 
afraid  you  and  I  shall  run  down.  I  feel  like  a 
tallow  candle  set  in  an  oven.  Just  throw  up 
that  north  window,  will  you  ?  " 

We  sat  down  by  the  window  and  began  play- 
ing backgammon.  As  soon  as  we  were  fairly 
playing,  the  sirup  began  to  sizzle  over.  Will 
flew  at  it,  aud  dropped  in  a  chunk  of  butter  to 
break  the  bubbles.  Then  he  seized  the  stove- 
hook  and  tried  to  poke  off  the  sugar  that  was 
boilino-  and  smoking;  on  the  stove.  He  daubed 
it  all  over  the  hook,  all  over  his  hands,  and  got 
a  little  on  his  fiice. 


28  WE  BOYS. 

"  Oil,  dear,  Bob ! "  exclaimccl  ho,  throwing 
down  the  hook  and  blowing  his  burnt  hands. 
"  I  wish  the  stuff  was  all  in  '  Greenland's  icy 
mountains ' !  " 

So  did  I.  The  room  was  blue  with  smoke, 
and  more  smoke  was  all  the  time  rising  from 
the  stove. 

"Will  brought  from  the  wood-shed  one  of  his 
mother's  scrubi)ing  cloths,  and  tried  wiping  off 
the  syrup  with  that.  lie  burnt  his  fingers,  and 
then  I  tried,  and  burnt  my  fingers.  The  rag 
was  tender,  and  pieces  of  it  stuck  to  the  stove. 
We  both  stepped  in  the  sugar  that  had  drizzled 
on  to  the  floor,  and  tracked  that  out  into  the 
wood-shed.  Just  then  the  door  opened,  and 
Will's  mother  came  out. 

"O  bo^sf"  exclaimed  she. 

"  I  did  n"t  expect  it  was  going  to  act  like  this, 
mother,"  said  Will,  fingering  his  burns  and  not 
looking  up. 

"I  suppose  you  didn't  expect  it,"  said  she, 
fixing  her  eyes  on  the  backgammon  board. 

"  Well,  you  see,  mother  —  "  began  Will. 

"  Yes,  I  see,"  said  she. 


A  SWEET  SATURDAY.  29 

Will  put-his  fingers  to  his  mouth,  and  blew 
on  them  fiercely.  His  mother  stood  and  looked 
at  him.  I  felt  as  if  1  should  like  to  run  out  at 
the  back  door,  and  home. 

After  it  all.  Will  had  the  boldness  to  ask  her 
if  he  might  invite  two  or  three  boys,  and  have  a 
candy  pull  in  the  afternoon.  She  talked  to  him 
a  while  because  he  had  been  so  careless,  then  gave 
the  permission,  and  we  left  to  look  up  the  boys. 

We  came  upon  Homer  in  the  street.  Mr. 
Sharpe  owns  a  tin-shop,  and  Homer,  when  he 
is  n't  in  school,  is  errand-boy.  He  was  carrying 
a  gridiron  and  a  dozen  tin  pans  up  to  Deacon 
Clapp's.     He  said  he  would  come. 

We  went  on  to  Charlie  Pay  son's.  Mr.  Payson 
is  wealthy,  and  keeps  a  gardener  and  a  groom, 
and  Charlie  don't  need  to  work  at  all  unless  he 
chooses,  but  he  is  always  busy.  We  found  him 
in  the  carriage-house,  with  his  carpenter's  tools, 
making  the  side-pieces  for  a  wheelbarrow. 

Mike  Flaherty,  the  gardener,  who  lay  stretched 
out  on  the  floor,  said  Charlie  'd  paid  out  two 
mouths'  allowance  for  that  old  "  whalebarrow  " 
frame. 


30  WE  BOYS. 

"And  it's  joost  good  for  clutter,"  said  he. 

"Now,  Mike,  what's  the  use  of  telling  that? 
You  said  yourself  that  the  wheel  was  good,  and 
the  frame  stout;  you  know  you  did." 

"Boot  what  nade  have  we  of  it?  We've  a 
whalebarrow  as  good  as  new  alriddy  " 

Charlie  said  he  expected  to  run  this  one  him- 
self. When  he  finished  it  we  should  see  what 
we  should  see.  He  was  as  ready  to  accept 
Will's  invitation  as  Homer  had  been,  and  we 
went  home. 

We  met  at  Mr.  Bradley's  at  two  o'clock. 
Will  had  put  the  syrup  on  in  his  mother's  jelly- 
kettle.  She  said  he  had  twice  as  much  as  ho 
needed,  and  a  third  more  than  he  could  boil 
down,  and  he  was  dipping  it  out  with  a  teacup. 

After  the  syrup  was  set  over  the  fire  we  kept 
a  close  watch  over  it,  and  we  each  of  us  had  a 
spoon  with  which  to  try  it,  —  each  of  us  but 
Will ;  he  had  a  little  wooden  paddle  that  he  had 
whittled  out  and  that  he  greatly  delighted  in. 
We  kept  tasting  and  tasting,  burning  our  tongues 
and  burning  our  tonijucs. 

We  had  only  just  begun  working  the  candy 


A  SWEET  SATURDAY.  31 

when  the  cat  jumped  upon  the  table  and  began 
smelling  the  butter.  Then  Homer's  shoe-strings 
came  untied  and  Charlie's  hair  kept  falling  over 
his  eyes ;  the  flies  troubled  us  and  some  one 
knocked  at  the  back  door. 

Homer  said  he  wished  he  had  somethinar  with 
which  to  flavor  his  candy,  and  Will  scrambled 
up  on  the  table,  and  took  from  the  little  cup- 
board over  it  a  greenish  glass  bottle.  He  pulled 
out  the  cork,  and  smelled  it. 

"Hold  your  hands,  Home,"  said  he. 

Homer  put  his  hands  together,  and  Will 
poured  into  them  a  spoonful  of  camphor. 

"  Cracky  !  "  cried  Homer. 

"Why,  it's  camphor,  isn't  it?"  said  Will, 
holding  the  bottle  to  his  nose,  and  making  up 
a  dreadful  face. 

"  Here 's  all  sorts  of  flavoring  extracts  up  here, 
Home,"  said  Will,  his  head  still  in  the  cupboard. 
"  Here  's  picra  —  good  for  worms.  Have  some 
of  this  ?  "  said  he,  shaking  a  vial  of  nasty-looking 
black  slufi"  over  Homer's  head. 

"  Get  down.  Will ! "  said  Charlie.  "Home  has 
flavorinor  enough  for  this  time." 


32  wn  BOYS. 

"Oh!  I  can  dispose  of  this  easily  enough. 
Women  like  camphor;  it's  good  for  faiutuess. 
I  '11  make  this  up  for  the  lady  of  my  heart,  — 
the  angelic  Cynthia." 

"  Have  a  little  cayenne  in  it  then,  won't  you  ?  " 
asked  Will,  who  still  stood  upon  the  table. 

He  reached  down  a  little  package  of  red  pep- 
per, and  Homer  turned  as  much  i)ito  his  candy 
as  it  would  hold. 

"  O  Homer  !  "  said  Charlie,  "  what  a  mess  you 
are  going  to  have  !  " 

"  What  a  mess  Cynthia  is  going  to  have,  you 
mean.  Serve  her  right ;  she  blabbed  on  Bob 
the  other  day." 

"It  won't  hurt  her,"  said  Will,  sitting  down 
on  the  ed":e  of  the  table  and  swinging  his  Ic^'s. 
"Cayenne's  irritating,  but  camphor's  healing." 

Homer  shaped  the  candy  into  a  short,  clubby 
kind  of  a  stick  and  laid  it  on  the  platter.  I  had 
just  put  down  mine  ;  mine  was  quite  white,  and 
twisted  into  little  sticks  about  three  inches 
long. 

"  O  Bob  !  "  said  Homer,  "  what  are  you  going 
to  do  with  those  lily-lingers  all  laid  in  a  row  ?  " 


A  SWEET  SATURDAY.  33 

I  said  I  should  give  them  to  my  Aunt  Lovisa. 
Theu  I  felt  my  cheeks  and  forehead  flush  up". 
I  didn't  intend  to  tell  a  fib  about  it,  but  I 
had  thought  of  Nellie  Eoyce. 

Charlie  said  he  thouo'ht  he  should  make  a 
man,  and  we  all  began  making  men.  Charlie's 
was  a  very  fine  one,  but  Homer's  was  n't  so 
natural.  He  rolled  up  one  large  ball  for  the 
body,  then  one  smaller  ball  for  the  head.  The 
head  was  half  as  large  as  the  body  and  the 
shape  of  a  fly's  head.  One  leg  was  larger 
round  at  the  ankle  than  at  the  thigh,  and  the 
other  was  too  short. 

Will  made  a  girl.  He  tried  to  make  her 
waist  waspy  and  fashionable,  but  the  skirt 
would  n't  hang  to  it ;  so  he  made  it  broad,  and 
said  she  was  a  good,  sensible  girl  who  didn't 
lace.  He  gave  her  a  small  head,  but  a  good 
stout  neck,  for  he  said  he  wante(J  her  to  hang 
together  if  she  didn't  do  anything  else.  He 
stuck  a  couple  of  feathers  on  her  head  for  hair, 
and  pushed  two  bits  of  charcoal  into  her  face 
for  eyes.  He  named  her  Susanna  Cynthia 
Angeliha  Bradley, 

3 


34  WS  BOYS. 

"  Call  her  'Glina  for  short,  boys,"  said  he. 

I  didn't  have  very  good  luck  with  my  man, 
so  I  just  made  him  over  into  sticks.  The  rest 
of  the  candy  we  worked  into  rings,  crosses,  and 
balls. 

Charlie  said  he  wished  we  could  wipe  up  the 
molasses  we  had  drizzled  about,  and  "Will  said 
ho  wished  so,  too,  for  it  had  taken  his  mother 
an  hour  to  clean  up  the  room  in  the  morning. 
So  he  brought  the  dishcloth  and  another  rag, 
and  we  rolled  up  our  sleeves  and  we  washed 
the  kettle,  the  pan,  the  plates,  and  all  the 
spoons ;  we  rubbed  off  the  table,  the  stove, 
and  all  the  chairs,  and  Homer  mopped  the 
floor. 

We  helped  Will  carry  his  molasses  down  to 
the  store.  There  was  between  six  and  seven 
gallons  of  it,  and  Mr.  Bradley  j)aid  him  fifty 
cents  a  gallon.  Will  wanted  to  buy  some 
almonds  and  "  treat " ;  but  his  father  said  he 
had  done  treating  enough  for  one  day ;  it  was 
time  we  scattered.  Mr.  Bradley  had  neuralgia 
in  the  face,  and  we  did  scatter. 

When  I  got  home  I  offered  Aunt  Lovisa  some 


A  SWEET  SATURDAY.  35 

candy.  She  asked  if  Mrs.  Bradley  or  we 
made  it.  I  told  her  we  did,  all  ourselves ;  and 
she  said  she  thanked  me,  she  wouldn't  take 
any.  Mother  ate  two  sticks,  and  said  it  was 
very  nice  indeed. 


36  WE  BOYS. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

A  SCHOOL  DAY  WITH  US   BOYS. 

"VTTHEN  I  went  down  to  school  Monday 
^  '  morning,  Will  was  out  in  front  of  the 
store  helping  pack  away  bundles  and  bags  under 
the  seat  of  Capt.  Parker's  old  buggy.  There  was 
a  bushel  of  hay-seed  in  a  bag,  a  pailful  of  oats 
in  which  the  captain  had  brought  eggs  to  mar- 
ket, a  bag  of  fine  salt,  and  a  half-bushel  of 
coarse  salt.  The  captain  stumped  back  into 
the  store,  and  Will  called  my  attention  to  the 
things. 

"This  bundle  holds  candles,"  said  he,  thrust- 
ing a  brown-paper  parcel  under  my  nose. 
"And  here's  half  a  pound  of  tea.  The  cap- 
tain's geography  is  rather  confused.  He  wanted 
Japanese,  and  he  called  for  Egyptian.  lie  said 
he  'd  take  '  second  best,'  'cause  he  did  n't  drink 
tea  himself,  but  his  'old  woman'  had  to  have 


A  SCHOOL  DAT  WITH  US  BOYS  37 

her  brew  three  times  a  day.  He  's  got  a  dress 
for  the  '  old  woman '  in  this  bundle.  I  just 
wish  you  could  see  it.  I  don't  know  where  this 
molasses  jug  is  going.  Stand  out  of  the  way 
now ;  the  captain's  flour-barrel  is  coming." 

Frank  rolled  out  the  barrel,  and  he  and  the 
captain  loaded  it  into  the  wagon.  Then  the 
captain  climbed  in,  and  said,  "  Gad  up  !  "  The 
old  wall-eyed,  bob-tailed  mare  gave  a  kind  of  a 
spring  and  a  jump,  and  started  off  with  a  great 
clattering  of  loose  machinery  about  the  wagon, 
while  the  ends  of  the  colt-skin  robe  swung  to 
and  fro  over  the  back  of  the  seat. 

"  Is  n't  it  wonderful  that  the  old  rack-o' -bones 
mare  can  travel  so  ? "  said  Will,  as  we  started 
towards  the  school-house. 

"  Yes  ;  and  it  seems  to  me  more  wonderful 
that  the  old  wagon  don't  go  to  pieces,"  said  I. 

"  Kind  of  all  go  down  together,  like  '  the 
deacon's  one-hoss  shay '  ?  Squatulate,  you  mean, 
don't  you  ?  " 

"Yes,  squatulate." 

Just  then  Homer  came  running  from  the 
school-house  towards  us.     Homer  has  a  pecul- 


38  WE  BOYS. 

iar,  jerky  kiud  of  a  gait,  aud  when  he  runs,  he 
runs  all  over,  his  elbows  flyiug  back  and  forth 
as  rapidly  as  his  legs. 

"  Hullo  !  "  said  he. 

"Hullo  !  "  responded  we. 

"The  fair  Cjaithia  has  arrived,"  shouted  he.' 
"  I  Ve  been  waiting  for  you  before  making  the 
presentation." 

Will  came  to  a  sudden  stop.  "  There,  now, 
I  've  left  my  girl  at  the  store  !  Wait  a  minute , 
boys,  and  I  '11  run  back  and  get  her." 

Homer  aud  I  waited  in  the  yard  until  Will 
came  back ;  then  we  all  went  into  the  school- 
house.  Cynthia  stood  with  two  or  three  other 
girls  on  the  "girls'  side,"  aud  Homer  walked  up 
and  held  out  to  her  the  cayenne-camphor  candy. 

"  Miss  Strong,"  said  he,  "  will  you  please 
accept  the  contents  of  this  parcel  as  a  trilling 
token  of  the  high  esteem  I  feel  for  you  ?  " 

''  Who  made  it  ?"  asked  Cynthia. 

"I  did,  my  angel." 

"I  'd  sooner  cat pizen /  "  said  Cynthia,  and  she 
sent  the  candy  whizzing  over  to  the  other  side 
of  the  SQhool-room. 


A  SCHOOL  DAY  WITH  US  BOYS.  39 

"I  also  have  brought  an  offering,"  said  Will, 
taking  out  of  his  pocket  his  girl,  which  was 
linty,  and  looked  worse,  if  anything,  than  it  did 
Saturday. 

"  I  don't  wish  for  it,  thank  you ;  it  resembles 
the  artist  too  closely,"  said  CjTithia,  tartly. 

Will  sold  it  to  little  Tommy  Taylor  for  two 
slate  pencils. 

I  waited  by  the  entry  door,  and  when  J^ellie 
came,  I  slipped  into  her  hand  the  candy  I  had 
saved  for  her.  She  thanked  me  quick  and  low, 
and  tucked  it  into  her  pocket.  Homer  saw  her 
eating  it,  and  asked  me  if  she  was  my  Aunt 
Lovisa,  and  he  and  Will  called  her  Aunt  Lovisa 
all  the  rest  of  the  day. 

The  candy  that  Cynthia  threw  away  fell  in 
Ike  Tucker's  seat,  and  some  of  the  boys  laid  it 
on  his  desk.  Ike  did  n't  come  in  until  nearly 
ten  o'clock.  •  He  supposed  some  friend  had  put 
the  candy  there  for  him,  ducked  his  head  under 
the  desk  and  took  a  good  big  bite.  Just  then 
his  geometry  class  was  called. 

He  was  under  the  desk,  coughing,  spitting, 
and  sputtering  at  a  great  rate. 


40  WE  BOYS. 

"Don't  koop  the  class  waiting,  Tucker,"  said 
the  master. 

Ike  swallowed  the  candy  and  came  out  look- 
ing like  a  picture  in  Fox's  "Book  of  Martyrs." 

I  held  my  nose,  but  it  wasn't  of  any  use,  I 
snickered  out ;  so  did  Will  and  Homer.  We 
got  five  marks  apiece  for  it,  and  in  two  or  three 
minutes  Will  burst  out  again,  — just  like  a  blad- 
der that  pops  because  it 's  too  full.  He  got  five 
more  for  that. 

About' a  half  an  hour  afterwards,  Tommy 
Taylor  was  fumbling  around  under  his  desk, 
and  he  pushed  Will's  girl  out  slap  into  the 
aisle.  She  was  so  soft  that  she  didn't  break, 
but  the  master  saw  and  confiscated  her. 

Just  before  afternoon  session  opened,  Cj'uthia 
came  out  with  a  very  remarkable  story  about 
the  way  we  had  cleaned  up  Mrs.  Bradley's 
kitchen.  Will  fired  up  and  denied  much  of  it, 
and  he  and  Cynthia  had  a  regular  up-and-down, 
out  and-out  dispute  over  it;  and  after  the  bell 
rang  Will  took  out  his  slate  and  drew  a  female 
portrait,  supposed  to  represent  Cynthia.  Tommy 
Taylor  saw  it,  and  held  up  his  hand  to  tell.    Will 


A  SCHOOL  DAY  WITH  US  BOYS.  41 

made  savage  motions  at  him ;  but  he  only  run 
his  hand  up  higher,  and  I  think  he  would  have 
told,  but  just  then  the  committee  and  the  com- 
mittee's son  walked  in. 

The  committee  is  Mr.  Anson  Pomeroy.  The 
committee's  son  is  Daniel  Webster  Pomeroy. 
He  belono's  to  a  colleije. 

Just  before  school  closed,  Mr.  Pomeroy  took 
the  register  out  of  the  desk  to  examine,  and 
found  Will's  girl  stuck  on  the  back  side  of  it. 
The  expression  of  his  face,  as  he  peeled  her  off, 
was  too  jolly.  He  could  n't  have  been  more 
solemn  had  he  been  at  a  funeral.  When  he 
rose  to  make  his  remarks,  he  said  he  was  glad  to 
observe  that  in  some  respects  we  had  improved  ; 
we  did  n't  make  as  much  noise  with  our  boots  as 
we  had  done,  and  we  did  n't  lop  on  the  desks  as 
badly. 

"But  this,"  said  he,  holding  up  the  girl 
solemnly,  "this  don't  look  quite  right." 

Will  whispered,  just  so  that  I  could  hear, 
that  he  should  like  to  know  how  it  ought  to 
look. 

"  If  you  waste  your  time  and  thoughts  upon 


42  WE  BOYS. 

such  frivolities  as  this,  what  do  you  suppose 
you  will  be  good  for  when  you  become  men  and 
women  ?  " 

"  School  committees,"  whispered  Will.  "  Please, 
sir,"  said  he,  raising  his  hand,  "  that  was  n't 
made  in  school  time." 

"No,  I  hardly  supposed  as  much;  but  the 
very  fact  of  its  having  been  brought  into  the 
school-room  shows  that  your  minds  are  not 
where  they  should  be,  —  upon  your  studies.  It 
shows,"  said  he,  looking  squarely  at  Will,  "that 
you  don't  appreciate  the  worth  of  your  educa- 
tional advantages." 

"Please,  sir,"  said  Will,  raising  his  hand 
again,  "sh-sh-she  is  n't  mine,  anyway.  She 
belongs  to  Cynthia  Strong." 

Some  of  the  large  boys  and  girls  tittered. 
Cynthia  looked  savage. 

j\Ir.  Pomeroy  laid  down  the  girl,  at  that,  and 
went  to  scoldinor  us  about  our  advantages.  One 
of  the  girl's  feathers  had  come  oif  on  his  hands, 
and  when  ho  ran  his  fingers  through  his  hair 
after  ideas,  the  feather  stuck  on  his  forehead. 
There  it  kept  bobbing  up  and  down,  and  waving 


A  SCHOOL  DAY  WITH  US  BOYS.  43 

SO  kind  of  funny-like  while  he  tallied,  that  I 
snickered  out.  I  pretended  I'd  sneezed,  though, 
and  used  my  handkerchief.  When  he  finished 
talking,  he  invited  Webster  to  rise  and  remark. 

Webster  rose,  threw  back  his  shoulders,  and 
took  a  good  look  at  us.  Then  he  began.  Gus- 
tus  Hillman  is  practising  short-hand,  and  took 
down  parts  of  the  speech.  I  copy  it  from  his 
note-book. 

"My  friends, — nay,  my  more  than  friends, 
for  you  are  to  me  like  a  band  of  brothers  and 
sisters, — your  faces  are  dear  to  me;  your 
names  are  like  household  words  upon  my  lips. 
I  have  gone  out  and  come  in  with  you  here,  in 
the  years  that  are  passed ;  I  have  sat  as  you  now 
sit  in  these  seats  ;  studied  the  same  lessons  that 
you  now  study;  played  the  same  games  that 
you  now  play  on  yonder  common  —  " 

"  Not  by  a  long  John  !  "  whispered  Will. 

"  —  and  my  deepest  interests,  my  tenderest 
affections  cling  around  you  as  —  as  —  as  clings 
the  ivy  around  the  oak.  I  shall  never  forget 
you,  —  never  I  So  long  as  the  mighty  orbs  in 
yonder  firmament  give  light  to  man,  —  so  long 


41  WE  BOYS. 

as  Time,  iu  his  unending  flight,  wheels  through 
the  vast  cycles  of  the  future, — so  long  will  a 
regard  for  you  hold  its  seat  within  this  manly 
bosom."  Here  Webster  clapped  his  hand  to 
his  breast,  and  mussed  the  manly  shirt-bosom. 
"I  can  understand  all  your  feelings  as  you  meet 
here  from  day  to  day.  I  know  all  your  hopes 
and  fears,  your  joys  and  sorrows,  your  aspira- 
tions and  your  disappointments  ;  for  I,  too,  have 
been  a  boy.  Yes,  thank  God,  I,  too,  have  been 
a  boy  !  and  I  have  no  words  in  which  to  express 
to  you  the  overwhelming  emotion  which  ihe' 
remembrance  of  that  fact  has  forced  upon  me 
to-day. 

"  I  would  especially  admonish  you  not  to  be 
discouraged.  What  though  the  Temple  of  Wis- 
dom lifts  its  glittering  fane  on  summits  that  now 
seem  to  you  inaccessible?  We  have  all  been 
obliged  to  toil  up  the  rugged  steeps  of  that 
acclivity.  Plato  and  Socrates  were  once  young 
like  you.  Cicero  and  Demosthenes  acquired 
the  elements  of  learning  in  their  youth.  Press 
forward,  then,  and  you  shall  rise  higher  and 
higher,  until  your  names  shall  shine  as  stars  iu 


A  SCHOOL  DAT  WITH  US  BOYS.  45 

the  diadem  of  Fame.  But,  as  tlie  ancient 
Romans  were  in  the  habit  of  remarking,  tem- 
pus  fvgit,  and  I  will  not  trespass  further. 
Accept  my  heartfelt  wishes  for  your  prosperity 
and  success  in  whatever  pursuit  in  life  you  may 
in  future  engage." 

Daniel  Webster  sat  down,  and  stillness 
reigned.  Will  kept  nudging  me.  The  master 
closed  the  school.  Yfebster  came  down  from 
the  platform  and  shook  hands  very  kindly  with 
all  the  large  scholars.  Most* of  the  girls  stood 
up  stiff  and  awe^-struck-like  before  him,  as  if 
he  was  the  man  who  made  the  dictionary. 

"Is n't  Web  a  stunner,  though  !  "  said  Will, 
after  Webster  and  some  of  the  large  girls  had 
started  off. 

"And  what  do  you  know  about  ^stunners,' 
pray?"  asked  Ed,  putting  his  hand  on  Will's 
head  and  rumpling  his  hair  over  his  eyes. 

"I  mean  to  be  one  myself  one  of  these  days. 
I  shall  come  in  to  visit  this  school  then,  and  if 
I  don't  spread  and  soar,  then  you  never !  and 
if  I  see  a  boy  down  on  this  row  of  seats  who 
don't  keep  his  nose  clean  nor  anything  I  shall 


46  WE  BOYS. 

tell  him  I  didn't  enjoy  any  such  advantages 
when  I  was  of  his  age,  and  that  he  ought  to 
improve  'em  and  fit  himself  for  honor,  glory, 
and  immortality  hereafter. 

"And  I  tell  you  what  'tis.  Tommy  Taylor, 
you  won't  be  gone  by  that  time,  and  if  you 
don't  nowadays  mind  your  p's  and  q's  a  little 
better,  I  shall  then  just  point  this  stern  fore- 
finger of  mine  at  yon  and  say,  '  There 's  a  boy, 
who,  if  I  mistake  not,  is  in  the  broad  road  to 
destruction,'  and  I  '11  rake  up  all  the  old  cod- 
gers on  the  fiice  of  the  earth  to  hold  up  before 
you  as  examples,  —  Cicero,  Demosthenes,  and 
all  the  rest  of  'em.  I  wonder  who  the  deuce 
Cicero  and  Demosthenes  are,  anyway  !  I  've 
heard  about  them  ever  since  I  was  out  of 
bibs." 

"Ask  Sue,"  said  Homer;  "she's  acquainted 
with  all  the  self-educated  men." 

"  Susanna  Anastasia,  w^ho  are  Cicero  and 
Demosthenes?"  asked  Will. 

Sue  was  just  going  out.  She  turned  round 
towards  us,  snifi'ed  up  her  sharp  nose,  and  says 
she,  "  Heathen  !  " 


A  SCHOOL  DAY  WITH  US  BOYS.  47 

"Does  she  mean  they  or  us,  I  wonder?"  said 
^Yill,  looking  puzzled. 

"There,  now,"  continued  he,  svvinging  his 
book  and  slate  over  his  shoulder,  "  I  'm  going 
through  complex  fractions  to-night  like  a  pig 
through  a  briar-lot.     Come  on,  boys  !  " 

We  all  filed  out-of-doors.  I  ran  back  to  get 
my  handkerchief,  and  Tommy  Taylor  was  up 
before  the  master's  desk,  kind  of  humble  and 
cast-down  like. 

"Please,  sir,"  said  he,  "if  you'll  give  me  my 
'lasses-candy  girl,  I  '11  never  bring  her  to  school 
long  as  I  live  and  breathe." 

Tommy  lives  on  the  same  street  that  I  do, 
and  that  nii^ht  I  saw  him  out  back  of  his  father's 
barn,  eating  down  the  girl,  —  feathers,  charcoal, 
lint,  and  all. 


48  WE  BOYS. 


CHAPTEE    V. 

FOREBODINGS  AND   FESTIVITIES. 

TuesdAy  morning  Mike  Flaherty  came  aromid 
Avilh  invitations  to  Charley  Paysou's  birthday 
party.  It  was  to  be  on  Friday.  My  mother  said 
she  wanted  mo  to  go,  but  she  did  n't  know  what 
I  had  to  wear.  "  Your  best  clothes  looked  so 
shabby  I  was  ashamed  of  them  last  Sabbath," 
said  she.  "His  father  is  going  to  get  him  a  suit 
in  Boston,  next  week,  you  know,  Lovisa." 

Aunt  Lovisa  did  n't  say  whether  she  knew  or 
not.  Sha  was  crocheting  a  tidy,  and  when  she  's 
at  work  on  tidies  she  don't  seem  to  think  any- 
thing else  is  of  any  consequence. 

Mother  went  up-stairs  and  brought  down  the 
clothes.  She  looked  them  over  herself,  and  then 
held  them  up  for  Aunt  Lovisa  to  look  at. 

Aunt  Lovisa  just  glanced  at  them. 

"  The  sleeve  edges  are  badiy  worn,  but  I  sup- 
pose we  might  bind  ihem,"  said  mother. 


FOREBODINGS  AND  FESTIVITIES.  49 

"  Yes,  we  might,"  said  Aunt  Lov^sa,  spread- 
ing the  tidy  out  in  her  lap. 

"  But  here  's  this  three-cornered  rent  in  the 
jacket,  and  the  pantaloon  knees  are  just  about 
worn  through.  They  look  rusty,  upon  the 
whole,  don't  they?  " 

"  Yes,  they  do,"  said  Aunt  Lovisa,  comparing 
a  skein  of  worsted  with  that  in  her  tidy. 

"Mrs,  Payson  is  so  nice  about  Charlie's 
dress,  too,  and  all  that  Boston  company  there," 
continued  mother. 

"I  shan't  have  to  stay  at  home,  shall  I, 
mother?  These  clothes  look  well  enough, 
I  'm  sure,"  said  I,  holding  the  clothes  up  to 
me,  and  standing  off  at  t4ie  farther  side  of  the 
room. 

"  No,  they  don't ;  they  're  in  no  way  suitable 
to  wear  to  a  party,"  said  my  mother. 

I  went  to  school  feeling  pretty  down-hearted. 
All  the  boys  were  talking  about  the  party  and  I 
could  n't  say  anything ;  but  when  I  went  home 
to  dinner  father  said  he  would  go  to  Boston 
Wednesday  and  come  back  Thursday  evening, 
so  that  I  could  have  my  clothes  for  Friday. 

4 


50  WE  BOYS. 

After  that  no  one  talked  more  about  the  party 
than  I  did. 

All  our  class  were  iuvitcd,  Mrs.  Payson  had 
requested  the  master  to  excuse  us  from  after- 
noon session,  and  we  were  going  as  early  as 
three  o'clock.  Mike  told  Will,  Mho  is  always 
a  kind  of  committee  of  inquiry  upon  such  occa- 
sions, that  the  table  was  to  be  set  under  the 
trees ;  that  Mr.  Payson  had  bought  a  box  of 
oranges  and  a  dozen  pineapples,  and  that  the  ice- 
cream and  cake  were  to  be  sent  up  from  the  city. 

My  father  didn't  come  Thursday  evening, 
and  I  went  to  school  Friday  morning  feeling 
blue  again.  I  had  on  my  beat  suit,  and  1 
finally  asked  Charlie  if  he  did  n't  think  those 
clothes  would  do. 

"  I  know  they  don't  look  nice,  but  when  I  get 
on  my  ruffled  shirt  and  best  boots  they  '11  look 
some  better,"  said  I,  brushing  off  the  dust. 

"Do?  Of  course  they  will,"  replied  Charlie. 
"  Who  cares  anything  about  clothes,  anywaj^?  " 

Still  I  felt  badly,  and  when  I  went  home  at 
noon  and  mother  said  father  had  n't  come,  I 
came  near  crying. 


FOREBODINGS  AND  FESTIVITIES.  51 

"  Maybe  he  's  come,  and  stopped  at  the  bank," 
said  I. 

She  said  it  might  be,  but  she  was  afraid  not ; 
I  might  run  down  and  see.  Will  went  with  me. 
Father  was  n't  there,  and  the  teller  said  he 
had  n't  been  there . 

"  What  shall  I  do,  Willie  ?  "  asked  I. 

"  Go  !  If  you  have  to  wear  your  grandfather's 
double  gown,  do  you  go.'''' 

As  soon  as  I  got  back  to  the  house  I  asked 
mother  if  I  could  go  and  wear  those  clothes. 

"  Charlie  thought  they  looked  well  enough, 
and  Will  said  he  would  go  if  he  was  in  my 
place,"  pleaded  I. 

She  seemed  to  think  it  would- n't  do. 

"  Could  n't  you  sponge  'em,  mother?  " 

She  smiled,  and  shook  her  head.  Finally  she 
said  I  might  ask  Aunt  Lovisa  what  she  thought 
about  them.  Aunt  Lovisa  looked  me  over,  and 
turned  me  around,  and  looked  me  over  again. 

"  I  should  n't  want  to  go  if  I  were  you, 
Rob,"  said  she  at  last.  "  It's  too  -warm  a  day. 
Stay  at  home  and  be  a  good  boy ;  you  can  have 
some  fruit  and  nuts,  set  the  table  in  the  yard, 


52  WE  BOYS. 

invite  Katie  Patterson  and  Freddy,  and  have  a 
party  by  yonrsclf." 

Katie  Patterson  is  five  years  old  and  brother 
Freddy  four ! 

As  soon  as  we  were  througli  dinner  I  ran  to 
the  depot  and  waited  for  the  two-o'clock  train. 
A  number  of  people  got  off,  but  my  father 
wasn't  among  them.  I  started  back.  A  com- 
pany of  boys  and  girls  who  had  come  from 
Giaccville  to  attend  the  party  were  just  ahead 
of  me.  They  were  nicely  dressed,  and  I  saw 
that  my  clothes  would  look  too  rusty.  I 
could  n't  hold  in  any  longer,  and  I  cried  all  the 
way  home. 

"He  hasn't  eome,  mother,  and  I  can't  go!" 
said  I,  choking,  as  I  went  into  the  sitting-room. 

There  he  stood.  He  had  jumped  off  the  rear 
car  as  sooh  as  the  train  slackened,  and  had  cut 
across  to  the  house  the  nearest  way. 

"I'm  afraid  it  was  an  extravagant  purchase," 
said  my  mother,  as  she  unfolded  the  suit. 

"  No,  I  think  not,"  said  my  father.  "  It  must 
serve  to  remind  Rob  that  he  is  n't  to  be  called 
up  in  school  again," 


FOREBODINGS  AND  FESTIVITIES.  53 

I  threw  my  arms  around  his  neck  and  kissed 
him  over  and  over  again.  "  I  '11  never  be  called 
up  again  as  long  as  I  live,  —  not  if  I  can  help 
it,  father." 

"That'll  do,"  said  he. 

My  suit  fitted  perfectly,  and  after  cooling  off 
and  dressing  I  started  for  IVIr.  Pay  son's. 

Charlie  and  Will  came  down  the  walk  to 
meet  me.  Will  put  his  finger  on  my  buttons, 
and  asked  whether  I  was  the  Emperor  of  Russia 
or  the  Sultan  of  Turkey. 

The  party,  consisting  of  about  twenty-five 
boys  and  girls,  was  under  the  trees  in  the  yard 
east  of  the  house.  Provisions  were  made  there 
for  all  sorts  of  games,  and  we  played  many  of 
our  own  introduction. 

When  we  were  redeeming  forfeits,  Nellie 
Royce  and  1  were  sent  down  to  the  brook  to 
make  a  "  double  and  twisted  bow-knot."  A 
"double  and  twisted  bow-knot"  is  made  by 
taking  hold  of  hands  and  ducking  your  heads 
under  your  arms  and  through  your  arms,  and 
kissing  each  other  every  time  you  go  up  or 
come  down. 


54  WU  BOYS. 

"I  don't  think  it  was  nice  to  send  us  off  so, 
do  you,  Rob?"  asked  Nellie,  as  soon  as  we 
were  out  of  hearing  of  the  party. 

"  I  don"t  know  as  there 's  anything  so  bad 
about  that.  I  'd  much  rather  do  what  we  're  to 
do  than  to  recite  poetry  for  a  forfeit,"  said  I, 
throwing  a  pebble  at  a  chipmunk  on  the  wall. 

"Now,  Rob,"  said  she,  when  we  reached  the 
brook,  "  let's  just  give  each  other  one  kiss,  and 
haye  no  arm-twisting  about  it." 

She  put  out  her  red  lips  and  I  paid  my  for- 
feit, and  a  robin  on  a  willow  near  sang,  Tra-la- 
la-la ! 

"  Is  n't  the  brook  pretty  ?  "  said  she.  "  Let 's 
just  run  up  to  that  pool  under  the  willow  and 
see  if  there  are  any  fish  there." 

When  we  returned  the  party  were  all  sitting 
on  the  grass  playing  "Consequences."  Will 
said  we  had  been  gone  long  enough  to  tie  a 
whole  clothes-line  into  double  bow-knots.  Just 
then  Rose  Payson  stole  up  behind  him  and  gave 
a  most  unearthly  squawk  on  a  blade  of  grass. 

Will  chased  her  into  the  flower-garden,  where 
she   dodged   behind   the    bee-hives.     Bees   are 


FOREBODINGS  AND  FESTIVITIES.  55 

always  angiy  at  Will,  and  he  daren't  follow; 
so  she  sat  among  the  flowers  in  her  blue  silk 
flounces,  her  lace  handkerchief  thrown  over  her 
head,  and  squawked  at  him  to  her  heart's  con- 
tent. By  the  time  they  came  back  we  were  all 
playing  on  grasses,  and  it  was  proposed  that 
Will  and  Rose  should  choose  sides  and  play  a 
match. 

Rose  showed  us  where  we  could  find  some 
particularly  fine  blades,  and  after  we  had  gath- 
ered a  supply  we  ranged  ourselves  in  two  rows 
over  against  each  other,  and  Rose  sounded  the 
prelude.  Will  followed;  then  Rose  and  her 
side  opened  up ;  then  our  side ;  then  Rose's ; 
and  the  squeaking,  the  squawking,  and  squall- 
ing was  awful.  The  people  came  out  of  the 
house,  and  one  gentleman  ofiered  a  lovely  little 
pearl-handled  knife  to  the  winning  side. 

Then  the  way  our  grasses  screeched, 
screamed,  whistled,  and  wailed  was  quite  appall- 
ing. Some  of  us  were  on  a  high  pitch  and 
some  on  a  low,  some  made  hoarse  sounds,  some 
sharp,  and  some  shrill;  we  all  played  with  all 
our  might.     Mr.  Payson  laughed  until  he  cried. 


56  WE  BOYS. 

The  prize  was  given  to  Will.  He  attempted  to 
present  it  to  Eose,  going  down  on  one  knee 
with  a  great  flourish ;  but  he  struck  upon  a 
bumble-bee,  and  came  up  less  gracefully  than 
he  went  down,  but  Rose  secured  the  knife. 

After  that  we  broke  up  in  groups  and  sat 
around  under  the  trees.  Charlie  invited  us 
into  the  garden  and  showed  off  his  own  private 
little  patch.  Pie  was  very  generous  in  giving 
us  tastes  of  things,  and  if  a  boy  praised  up 
anything  he  offered  him  some  seed ! 

We  went  to  the  carriage-house  to  see  his  new 
wheelbarrow.  He  had  that  morning  painted 
it  a  bright  blue,  streaked  off  with  yello^,  and 
on  each  side  the  name.  Rose,  in  yellow  letters. 

"I  was  going  to  name  it  after  sister  Mabel, 
but  she  said  she  must  decline  that  honor,  so 
I've  called  it  Rose,"  said  Charlie. 

Will  and  Tommy  Taylor  got  blue  paint  on 
their  jacket-sleeves,  and  had  to  retire  to  the 
house  and  be  rubbed  up  with  benzine. 

While  the  table  was  being  set  in  the  yard,  we 
had  music  and  dancing  and  a  fine  time  in  the 
parlor.      When   supper   was    announced    Will 


FOREBODINGS  AND  FESTIVITIES.  57 

had  his  wits  about  him  and  asl?:ed  to  take  out 
Eose,  but  I  made  no  move  until  Mrs.  Royce 
touched  me  on  the  shoulder,  and  said  she, 
"  Won't  you  give  your  arm  to  the  Httle  girl  in 
the  striped  dress,  Eobbie?" 

The  girl  in  the  striped  dress  was  Cynthia 
Strong. 

Will  gave  my  jacket  a  sly  twitch  as  I  crossed 
over  to  her.  She  did  n't  say  a  word  to  me,  but 
thrust  her  arm  up  to  the  elbow  through  mine. 
She  is  taller  and  every  way  larger  than  I,  and  I 
can't  think  we  looked  very  well  together.  She 
hardly  spoke  all  the  time  we  were  at  the  table, 
but  sat  with  her  head  thrown  back  and  her 
nose  turned  up  in  the  air.  She  seemed  to  feel 
that  some  one  was  imposing  upon  her.  I'm 
sure  it  was  n't  I.  ' 

The  table  looked  beautifully  and  we  had  a 
fine  time  at  it.  When  we  were  nearly  through, 
a  Boston  boy,  Charlie's  cousin,  rose  with  his 
glass  of  lemonade  and  proposed  Charlie's 
health. 

We  had  all  of  us  seen  enough  of  the  way 
grown  people  manage  things  to  know  that  we 


58  WE  BOYS. 

ought  to  drink  to  the  toast,  but  some  did  n't 
think  quick  enough,  and  it  was  three  or  four 
minutes  before  the  last  strasrsrler  set  down  his 
glass.  Tommy  Taylor,  who  always  says  the 
w^rong  thing  in  the  wrong  place,  spoke  up  loud, 
and  said  he'd  already  drank  so  much  lemonade 
it  seemed  as  if  he  should  burst. 

We  all  pretended  not  to  have  heard  Tommy's 
remark,  and  Charlie  rose  to  respond  to  the 
sentiment. 

I  reckon  his  mother  had  taught  him  his 
speech  beforehand. 

As  soon  as  Charlie  sat  down,  Will  hopped  up 
with  his  glass,  and  says  he,  "To  the  prosperity 
of  Charlie's  whalebarrow.  May  it  lead  a  long 
life  and  a  useful  one,  do  a  good  stroke  of  busi- 
ness and  an  honest  one  !  " 

The  people  under  the  trees  applauded,  and 
Tommy  Taylor  was  just  ready  to  cry  "Hurrah  !" 
but  he  sat  beside  me,  and  I  slapped  my  hand 
over  his  mouth  in  time  to  prevent. 

Some  one  called  "Bob  Brown,  you  speak  to 
that !     Bob  Brown  !  Bob  Brown  ! " 

I  can't  think  now  how  I  dared,  but  then  I 


FOREBODINGS  AND  FESTIVITIES.  59 

did  u't  feel  afraid.  I  said  the  wheelbarrow 
was  young  yet,  and  we  could  n't  be  sure  of  its 
future,  but  we  had  great  hopes  for  it.  It  had  a 
good  name,  and  if  it  Klid  justice  to  its  name,  it 
would  never  disappoint  our  hopes. 

"We  ate  nuts  for  a  Avhile,  and  then  a  Grace- 
ville  boy,  who  had  been  in  a  brown  study,  rose, 
glass  in  hand,  and  pompously  proposed  :  "The 
fair  sex :  What  should  we  men  do  without 
them?" 

Quite  a  stir  was  made  among  the  people 
under  the  trees.  Mr.  Paysou  called  out  that 
some  one  must  respond  to  that,  and  Charlie 
invited  Homer  to  speak. 

Homer  rose  and  hitched  up  his  pantaloons  — 
that 's  a  dreadful  habit  of  Homer's.  If  he  *s  a 
little  flurried,  he  begins  to  hitch  up  his  panta- 
loous.  He  said  he  liked  the  fair  sex  very  well, 
some  of  'em  much  better  than  others,  and  he 
belived  that  was  the  way  with  everybody.  He 
thought  that  as  a  general  thing  they  were  very 
useful  about  dusting,  making  pincushions,  and 
lamp-mats,  but  come  to  cutting  up  stove  wood 
or  weeding  in  the  garden,  they  were  n't  of  much 


60  WE  BOYS. 

account.  He  had  known  a  fair  sex  who  could 
give  a  good  ball ;  but  come  to  marbles  and  nine- 
pins, they  did  n't  amount  to  much  again. 

By  the  time  the  confectionery  Avas  passed  we 
all  felt  some  as  Tommy  did  when  we  began 
drinking  toasts.  Charlie  seemed  to  understand 
it,  and  invited  us  to  fill  our  pockets  to  take 
home.  We  began  stuffing  away  our  candy,  and 
a  number  put  their  cherries  and  an  orange  into 
their  pockets. 

The  Boston  boy  began  to  look  as  if  he  had 
fallen  among  a  lot  of  barbarians. 

Some  one  mentioned  that  we  hadn't  seen 
Charlie's  presents,  and  we  all  jumped  up  from 
the  table  helter-skelter,  and  ran  into  the  house. 
There  was  a  rosewood  writing-desk,  a  pencil- 
case,  a  cabinet-size  portrait  of  Mrs.  Payson, 
two  or  three  books,  a  key-saw,  a  pair  of  sleeve 
buttons,  two  jackknives  and  a  penknife. 

Charlie  said  he  tliought  the  most  of  the  key 
saw,  —  Mike  gave  him  that,  —  and  Eose  cor- 
rected him  for  expressing  a  preference. 

We  returned  to  the  parlor,  and  Mabel  gave 
us  some  music.     Rose,  Nellie,  and  MoUie  Him- 


FOREBODINGS  AND  FESTIVITIES.  61 

mond  each  played  a  little.  The  train  on  which 
the  Graceville  boys  and  girls  had  to  leave  was 
due  soon  after  sundown,  and  Mrs.  Payson  sent 
them  to  the  depot  in  the  carriage.  The  rest  of 
us  stayed  until  twilight. 

When  Aunt  Lovisa  saw  how  much  candy  I 
had  brought  home,  she  said  she  should  be  for- 
ever and  ever  ashamed  of  mo  ;  but  she  ate  what 
I  had  in  one  pocket,  and  I  gave  mother  and 
Freddy  the  remainder. 


62  wi:  BOYS. 


CHAPTEE    VI. 

WILL  AISTD  I  TAKE  A   ElDE. 

I  didn't  see  Will  again  until  three  o'clock 
the  next  day.  Then  I  found  him  under  one 
of  the  horse-sheds  back  of  his  father's  store. 
Capt.  Parker's  old  mare  and  the  wagon  with 
the  colt-skin  robe  stood  under  the  shed. 

"The  captain  has  sued  uncle  'Zekiel  Wood, 
and  the  lawyers  are  holding  a  court  in  the  Town 
Hall.  This  team  has  been  here  ever  since 
morning,"  said  Will,  as  I  went  in. 

He  was  punching  the  mare  in  the  sides  and 
feeling  her  bones.  He  said  he  wished  the  mas- 
ter would  engage  her  for  the  school  to  study 
anatom}^  upon.  "  She  has  thirty-five  ribs,"  said 
he,  counting  up  and  down  her  back,  "  and  lots 
of  knobs  and  hollow  places." 

He  went  around  to  her  head  and  opened  her 
mouth.  "  My  eyes !  Do  but  see  her  teeth. 
She  must  be  a  revolutionary  pensioner." 


WILL  AXD  I  TAKE  A  RIDE.  63 

I  went  around  and  looked  at  her  teeth,  and 
then  he  wanted  me  to  put  my  hand  under  her 
chops  and  see  what  a  curious  place  there  was 
there. 

He  poked,  punched,  and  thumped  her  over, 
tickled  her  nose  with  straws,  and  fed  her  oats 
out  of  his  hand.  Then  he  proposed  that  we 
should  back  her  out  and  take  a  ride  around 
Barebones  Hill. 

"Oh,  I  shouldn't  dare,"  said  I. 

"  What    are   you   afraid    of  ?       Here   she 's 
occupied  my  father's  shed  and  cribbed  this  feed- 
box  all  day.     It 's  no  more  than  right  that  I " 
should  have  a  ride  out  of  her." 

"  But  the  captain  !  "  gasped  I. 

"  He  need  n't  know  it.  We  '11  take  our  little 
airing  and  be  back  long  before  the  lawyers  are 
through  with  him  and  'Zekiel." 

While  talking  he  had  taken  the  mare  by  the 
bits  and  backed  her  out. 

"Don't,  Will,  donH!"  pleaded  I. 

"Don't  get  excited  or  be  goosey-poosey, 
Bobby.  Come  on  !  She  's  a  regular  stavcr  for 
travel,  and  steady  as  a  cow.   We  'il  rattle  around 


64  WE  BOYS. 

and  be  back  here  in  twenty  minutes.  Let  me 
tumble  you  in.  There  you  go  !  "  Will  pushed 
me  in  and  jumped  in  after  me. 

He  gathered  up  the  reins  and  chirruped  to  the 
mare.  She  slowly  straightened  her  limbs, 
stretched  herself,  and  jogged  out  into  the 
street. 

'■  She  don't  start  off  as  she  does  with  the 
captain,"  said  I. 

"  When  we  get  a  little  out  of  the  village  I  '11 
just  touch  her  up  with  the  whip,"  said  W^ill. 

"  At  this  rate  we  never  shall  get  out  of  the 
village ;  and  oh,  Will,  everybody  is  looking  at 
us.    Do  make  her  go  faster."  • 

Will  twitched  the  reins  and  chirruped ;  she 
didn't  mind  it  in  the  least.  He  took  out  the 
whip  and  struck  her  on  the  flank  ;  she  did  n't  pay 
any  attention  to  it.  We  dragged  by  the  bank. 
My  father  was  standing  in  the  door. 

"  Where  are  you  going.  Bob?  "  called  he. 

''  Up  to  Capt.  Parker's,"  said  I. 

Now,  Capt.  Parker's  lay  off  in  a  different 
direction  entirely,  but  the  question  had  come  so 
suddenly  that  I  did  n't  know  what  to  say. 


WILL  AND  I  TAKE  A  RIDE.  65 

"Oh,  dear,  Willi"  exclaimed  I,  "I've  told 
father  a  lie." 

Will  made  no  reply,  but  rose  on  his  feet  and 
gave  the  mare  a  crack  over  the  head.  She 
started  up  so  suddenly  that  he  was  thrown  back 
on  the  seat,  and  my  head  was  nearly  jerked  off. 
For  a  few  minutes  she  travelled  as  I  have  seen 
her  with  the  captain ;  but  it  had  been  much 
better  fun  to  watch  the  captain  jolt  along  than 
it  was  to  be  in  the  wagon  ourselves.  The  old 
thing  didn't  seem  to  have  any  springs,  and  we 
had  to  hold  on  to  the  sides  to  keep  from  being 
bounced  out.  Every  now  and  then  Will  would 
ask  me  if  I  did  n't  enjoy  it.     I  said  I  did. 

"Why  don't  you  talk  more,  then?"  asked 
he. 

I  said  I  did  n't  feel  like  talking. 

We  struck  off  on  to  the  Barebones  Hill  road. 
"  Now  for  some  fun  !  "   said  Will,  trying  to  be 

gay. 

I  wanted  to  ask  him  to  let  me  get  out  and  go 
back  to  my  father,  but  was  ashamed  to  do  it. 

The  road  was  sandy  and  had  but  few  houses 
and  no  shade-trees. 


QQ  WE  BOTS. 

"  Ko  one  around  here  to  see  us,"  said  AViU. 

"No,"  said  I. 

"Aren't    you  having   a  good  time,  Bob?" 
asked  he,  looking  around  into  my  face. 

"Yes." 

"What  makes  you  sigh  so  much,  then?" 
"  Oh  !  "  said  I,  "  she  goes  so  slow  !  " 
Will  took  out  the  whip  and  struck  her  across 
the  back,  across  the   flank,   across   the    sides. 
We  each  of  us  tried  punching  her  with  the  butt 
end  of  the  whip.     Sometimes  she  would  start 
up  and  trot  for  a  rod  or  two  ;  then  would  drop 
her  head,  and  fall  into  that  dreadful  jog.     The 
sand  was  deep  and  burning  hot ;  the  sun  blazed 
like  a  great  fire ;  we  were  both  covered  with 
dust,  my  head  ached,  and  Will's  face  was  turn- 
ing lobster-color. 

"I'm  afraid  we  shall  be  sun-struck.  Isn't 
there  anything  that  can  be  done  to  get  this 
horse  along  faster  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  unless  we  get  out  and  carry  her," 
said  Will.     "  I  believe  I  '11  try  another  crack 
over  her  head.     Hold  on  to  your  seat.  Bob." 
I  grasped   the   back   of  the  wagon.       Will 


WILL  AND  I  TAKE  A  RIDE.  (57 

partly  rose,  and  holding  on  to  the  dash-board 
with  one  hand,  with  the  other  gave  the  mare  a 
blow.  She  sprang,  something  cracked,  some- 
thing crashed ;  the  forepart  of  the  wagon  sank 
down.  The  mare  was  angry  and  rushed  ahead. 
Will  pulled  on  the  reins,  I  shouted  "Whoa!" 
the  cracking  and  crashing  went  on. 

When  she  was  ready  the  mare  came  to  a 
stand-still,  shook  her  head,  and  looked  back  at 
us  as  if  she  would  like  to  know  if  we  were  sat- 
isfied noiv  I  We  jumped  out  and  made  an  exam-* 
ination.  The  axle  of  the  wagon  was  broken, 
and  there  seemed  to  be  a  general  splintering  up 
of  things,  and  many  loose  irons. 

"  What  are  we  going  to  do  ?  "  gasped  I. 

Will  thought  I  should  have  to  stay  with  the 
horse  while  he  ran  back  to  the  nearest  house  for 
help. 

The  nearest  house  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
back,  but  in  plain  sight.  I  took  the  mare  by 
the  bits  and  watched  Will  as  he  ran  off  throuo'h 
the  dust.  He  rang  at  the  front  door  of  the 
house,  he  knocked  at  the  back  door,  but  no  one 
answered ;  he  peeped  in  at  a  window,  and  then 


WE  BOTS. 


turned  and  made  signs  to  me  that  there  was  no 
one  at  home,  and  he  was  gohig  on  to  the  next 
house.  It  was  a  half-mile  between  the  two.  It 
was  hot,  hot  there  in  the  road.  The  flics  bit 
the  mare,  and  I  every  minute  expected  that 
she  would  start  and  run. 

I  felt  i^retty  sure  that  we  should  have  to  pay 
for  the  wagon.  I  did  n't  know  how  much  such  a 
wagon  was  worth,  but  I  knew  our  new  phaeton 
cost  more  than  two  hundred  dollars.  Supposing 
■the  captain  asked  a  hundred  for  this,  or  seventy- 
live  or  even  fifty,  would  n't  my  father  be  obliged 
to  pay  it?  —my  dear  father,  who,  only  the  day 
before,  had  bought  me  those  nice  clothes ! 
Maybe,  too,  he  would  have  to  pay  for  the 
horse.  I  did  n't  loiow  Avhat  kind  of  a  claim  the 
captain  would  set  up  ;  he  had  the  reputation  of 
being  a  hard  man.  Then  suddenly  it  flashed 
across  me  that  he  might  arrest  us  for  stealing 
the  team  !  Had  the  mare  started  at  that  moment 
I  couldn't  have  held  her.  Will  and  I  should 
be  thieves,  then,  and  have  to  be  tried  before  a 
court  and  sent  to  the  state-prison !  Oh,  how 
my  mother  would  feel !  and  it  would  break  my 


WILL  AND  I  TAKE  A  RIDE.  69 

fathers  heart ;  it  would  kill  them  all,  Freddy 
and  gi-andma  —  what  would  grandma  say?  I 
thought  I  should  die  !  It  might  be  that  the  court 
was  already  out,  and  the  captain  had  missed  his 
hors3,  and  the  constables  were  after  us.  Oh ! 
how  hot  it  was  ! 

As  far  down  the  road  as  I  could  see  rose  up 
a  cloud  of  dust.  I  knew  there  was  a  team  in 
it.  It  was  coming  for  me  !  On  it  came,  nearer 
and  nearer,  and  I  shook  like  a  leaf.  I  knew 
how  it  would  be  :  the  constable  would  jump 
out,  grub  me,  perhaps  put  on  the  handcuffs?, 
and  tumble  me  into  his  buggy,  heels  over  head, 
hit  or  miss.  I  wondered  if  he  had  already 
taken  Will.  I  could  see  the  horse,  a  black 
horse,  — not  like  the  constable's,  like  the  deputy 
s'lerilTs  though;  no,  the  man  was  not  as  large 
as  the  sheriff.  My  heart  gave  a  bound  ;  he  was 
a  stranger ! 

"  Hallo,  Bub  !  you  've  had  quite  a  smash-up," 
said  he.     '' Can  I  do  anything  to  help  you? " 

"  No,  sir,  I  thank  you.  AuotheV  man  has  gone 
back  after  help,"  said  I,  shaking  all  over,  and 
stanclin<?  stock-still  in  the  middle  of  the  road. 


70  WE  BOYS. 

"  Well,  can't  you  move  your  calabash  a  little, 
so  that  I  can  get  by  ?  " 

I  led  the  mare  into  the  ditch,  and  the  man 
passed  on.  A  few  minutes  more,  and  another 
cloud  of  dust  appeared.  This  proved  to  contain 
two  ladies.  They  drove  slowly,  vstared  at  me, 
and  said  something  that  sounded  like  "  That 's 
the  boy  they're  hunting  for." 

At  last  came  Will,  and  with  him  Mr.  Noah 
Johnson's  hired  man,  'Bijah  Whittlesey.  'Bijah 
is  a  slow,  hulking,  prying  fellow.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  he  would  be  about  the  poorest  help 
we  could  have,  but  I  was  glad  to  see  any  one. 

''Jehosiphat !  "  said  he,  as  he  came  up  and 
suiweyed  the  wreck,  "  if  this  is  n't  the  capen's 
old  go-cart !  And  all  gone  to  thunder  in  this 
style  !  How  came  the  capen  to  let  you  young- 
sters be  trucking  around  with  it  ?  " 

"Please,  Mr.  Whittlesey,"  said  Will,  in  his 
smoothest  way,  "  don't  ask  us  any  questions. 
Just  help  us  out  of  the  scrape,  and  we  '11  reward 
you  handsomely." 

'Bijah  pulled  up  his  cap  and  scratched  his 
head. 


WILL  AND  I  TAKE  A  BIDE.  71 

"This  'ere  is  pretty  considerable  of  a  smash- 
up,  now  le'  me  tell  you ;  and  if  you  boys  have 
been  raisin'  the  devil  with  the  capen's  property 
unbeknownst  to  him,  I  don't  know  wh'er  or  not 
I  ought  to  help  ye." 

"O  Mr.  Whittlesey,"  said  I,  "we  didn't 
mean  any  harm ;  we  only  thought  we  'd  take  a 
ride.     Do  julease  help  us." 

"  The  capen  sets '  a  heap  by  that  old  critter 
and  the  wasjin.  He  's  druv'  'em  ffoinsr  on  now 
five-and-twenty  years.  The  capen  's  a  master 
hand  for  lawin'  it,  too,  and  I  don't  know  as  I 
want  to  be  mixed  up  in  any  of  his  musses.  Ye 
see  I  'm  of  age,  and  he  might  hold  me  liable." 

"Mr.  Whittlesey,  your  name  shall  never  be 
mentioned  in  connection  with  this  afiair.  I  give 
you  my  word  of  honor  as  a  gentleman  that  it 
shall  not,"  said  Will. 

"  Wa-al,  seein'  it 's  little  Bob  here  who  's  in  the 
scrape,  I  dunno  but  I  must  try  to  give  you  a  lift. 
He  's  the  boy  who  helped  pick  up  my  potatoes 
when  they  spilled  out  of  the  bags  going  down 
Town-Hall  hill  last  winter." 

"Yes;  I  am  that  boy,  I  am.     Mr.  Whittle- 


72  WE  BOYS. 

sey,  do  please  help  us,  —  quick,  please,  won't 
3^cu?" 

"  Must  n't  be  in  too  big  a  hurry.  I  shall  have 
to  go  back  for  a  rope  and  some  spikes.  I  thought 
by  what  Bill,  hero,  said  it  couldn't  be  much  of 
a  smasher,  an'  I  didn't  bring  anything  but  a 
hammer  and  a  few  shiuglc-nails." 

I  was  every  minute  expecting  the  constable 
along. 

"  Can't  you  possibly  repair  the  wagon  without 
going  back  ?  "  asked  T. 

"  Lordy  massy,  no  ;  an'  I  dunno  as  I  can  then, 
but  I  '11  try.  The  wagon 's  been  a  shiftless, 
rickety  old  thing  these  ten  years.  Nobody  but 
the  capen  could  a-kcpt  it  together.  I  '11  start 
along  in  a  minute,  soon  's  I  get  cooled  off  a  lit- 
tle ;  I  swaow,  though,  there  ain't  much  chance 
for  coolin'  here.  Old  mare  looks  as  if  she  was 
about  done  lor.  You  'd  better  take  her  out  of 
the  thills  and  tie  her  under  that  apple-tree  over 
in  the  pasture." 

I  went  off  into  the  pasture  with  the  mare, 
and  when  I  returned  'Bijah  had  gone. 

"  At  the  rate  he  was  waikino:  when  he  went 


WILL  AND  I  TAKE  A  RIDE.  73 

out  of  sight,  it'll  take  him  an  hour  to  get 
around, "  said  Will    gloomily. 

"Let's  run  away,"  said  I. 

"  Where  can  we  run  to  ?  " 

"Anywhere,  — to  Boston  or  to  sea." 

"  We  should  be  sorry,  and  come  back  again 
if  we  started." 

"  We  shall  be  sorry  if  we  hang  around  here 
until  we're  arrested." 

"  Arrested  !  They  can't  arrest  us  for  an  acci- 
dent," said  Will. 

"  They  can  call  it  stealing  a  horse  and  buggy, 
and  arrest  us  for  that,"  said  1. 

That  idea  startled  Will  a  little.  He  picked 
up  a  stalk  of  grass  and  began  chewing  it  vig- 
orously. 

"I  dont  believe  it,"  said  he.  "They  shan't 
arrest  you,  anyway.  Bob ;  I  '11  swear  to  the 
very  last  that  you  didn't  want  to  come.  I 
won't  let  them  take  you.  And  they  shan't  have 
me,  either,"  added  he,  kicking  at  the  wagon. 
"  I  'm  more  afraid  father  will  have  to  pay  for 
the  hlarsted  old  thino;.  I  wish  the  lisfhtninir 
would  strike  it !  " 


74  WE  BOYS. 

"  Oh,  don't,  Will !  What  would  become  of 
us?" 

"Well,  let's  do  what  we  can  towards  patch- 
ing it  up  with  the  nails  'Bije  left,"  said  he. 

"  Then  you  think  we  'd  better  stay  by,  do 
you  ?  " 

"Stay  by?  Yes.  I'll  see  the  thing  out  if 
they  hang  me  for  it." 

Our  hammering  only  seemed  to  make  matters 
worse  with  the  wagon,  and  we  finally  sat  down 
and  waited  for  'Bijah. 

"  Cooler 'n  'twas  at  noon,"  said  he,  pushing 
his  hat  back  and  wiping  off  the  perspiration  as 
he  came  up. 

"Yes,"  said  we.  "How  long  do  you  think 
it  '11  take  you  to  mend  the  wagon  ?  " 

"  Wa'al,  I  dunuo  ;  dunno  's  I  can  fix  it  at  all, 
still,  maybe  I  can  kinder  cobble  it  up  so't  you 
can  get  home.  Feel  a  leetle  scared,  don't  ye 
now?  Dunno 's  I  wonder.  Capen  don't  let  up 
easy  when  he  gets  a  grip  on  a  feller." 

"  You  don't  think  he  '11  shut  us  up,  do  you, 
Mr.  Whittlesey?"  asked  I. 

"I  guess  not,  still  I  can't  tell.     Boys  must 


WILL  AND  I  TAKE  A  RIDE.  75 

learn  not  to   meddle  with  things    that    don^t 
belong  to  'em." 

We  said  we  never  should  asrain. 

In  about  half  an  hour  -'Bijah  had  rigged  up 
the  wagon  so  that  he  said  we  might  try  it. 

"It's  a  mighty  ticklish  consarn  to  draw  a 
mile  and  a  half,  now  I  tell  you  ;  but  if  you  drive 
slow,  and  are  careful  in  going  over  the  thankee- 
marms,  and  don't  run  on  to  no  stones,  I  guess 
you  can  get  her  thar,"  said  he,  as  we  started  oif. 

I  led  the  mare  by  the  bits.  Will  walked 
by  the  side  of  the  wagon,  and  kept  watch  of  it. 
'Bijah  went  with  us  a  half-mile  or  more. 

"  'T  ain't  no  use  telling  you  to  go  slow,  for  you 
cau't  go  no  other  way,"  said  he,  as  he  bade  us 
good-by.  "  'T  would  n"t  take  much  to  send  the 
old  thing  to  pieces  again ;  but  houses  '11  be  get- 
tin'  thicker  an'  thicker,  so 't  if  wuss  comes  to 
wuss  you  can  get  some  one  to  put  you  together 
again." 

We  thanked  'Bijah  again,  and  Will  offered  to 
pay  him;  but  he  said  no,  he  shouldn't  "tax 
nothing." 

We  drove  very  slowly,  and  it  was  nearly  sun- 


76  TT'-JL'  BOYS. 

down  when  we  entered  the  village.     I  felt  as  if 
I  should  sink  with  mortification.     We  neither 
of  us  looked  either  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the 
left.     As  we  passed. Dr.  Hammond's,  Ed  and 
Gustus    Hillman,    who   were    standing   in    the 
door,  called  out  to  us,  but  we  jjretended  not  to 
hear  them.     As  we  went  by  the  bank  I  saw  my 
father  sitting  by  the  window.     It  was  past  bank 
hours ;  he  must  have  been  there  watching  foi 
us.     As  we    came  in   sight   of  the  store  I  saw 
the  piazza  was  filled  with  men. 
"There  they  are.  Will,"  said  I. 
"  Who  are  ?  " 
"Why,  the  authorities." 

"I  can't  help  it  if  they  are.  I^on't  you  be 
frightened.  Bob  ;  you  were  n't  to  blame." 

The  men  were  looking  at  us.  It  seemed  as 
if  the  old  mare  would  never,  never  get  there. 
I  had  half  a  mind,  even  then,  to  turn  and  run. 
As  we  came  nearer  I  saw  the  meu  were  laugh- 
ing. 

"  You've  had  a  pretty  sorry  time,  have  n't  you, 
Bob  ?  "  said  Lawyer  Royce,  taking  his  cigar  from 
his  mouth  as  I  led  up  the  horse. 


WILL  AND  I  TAKE  A  RIDE.  11 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  I,  looking  down  at  the  piazza 
steps. 

"  We  've  brought  your  horse  back  for  you, 
Capt.  Parker,"  said  Will,  as  if  it  was  all  a  good 
joke  that  the  captain  must  enjoy. 

"Yes,  you've  brought  the  horse  back  and 
you  've  brought  the  wagon  back,  and  the  wagon 
is  as  't  is,  you  young  rascal !  You  ought  to  be 
trounced,  severely  trounced  !  " 

The  captain  collared  Will  as  if  he  was  going 
to  "  trounce  "  him  then  and  there.  At  this  Mr. 
Bradley  stepped  forward. 

"  Let  alone  the  boy,  captain  ;  I  '11  attend  to 
him.     You  make  out  your  bill  for  damages." 

At  the  mention  of  bill  the  captain  let  go  of 
Will  and  began  to  examine  the  wagon. 

"  If  any  one  '11  go  for  my  father  he  '11  pay  niy 
part,"  said  I,  feeling  as  if  I  was  in  some  way  a 
prisoner  and  should  n't  myself  be  allowed  to  go 
for  him. 

"Bob  isn't  to  blame,  father  ;  he  ought  not  to 
pay  anything.     I  made  him  go,"  said  Will. 

"  I  '11  see  your  father  if  I  think  best,"  said 
Mr.  Bradley,  speaking  to  me,  but  not  looking 
at  either  of  us. 


78  TVE  BOYS. 

The  capttiin  said  that  he  "guessed  upon  the 
hull  five  dollars  would  pay  for  damages  to  the 
wagon,  but  there  was  the  old  mar'.  She's  a 
mighty  nervous  beast  and  ain't  used  to  boys. 
Boys  ain't  nowise  careful  with  critters.  Her 
nerves  may  be  onsettled  for  life  by  this  'ere 
scrape.  Three  dollars  for  damages  to  the  mar', 
'squire." 

Mr.  Bradley  counted  out  eight  dollars  and 
tendered  it  to  the  captain. 

"  Will  that  be  satisfactory  ?  " 

"Wa'all,  yes,  so  far  as  the  team  is  consarned, 
that 's  satisfactory ;  but  there 's  my  time  ought 
to  be  wuth  something.  I  've  been  waitins;  now 
since  four  o'clock.  Say  a  dollar  for  my  time, 
'squire." 

All  the  men  laughed.  Mr.  Bradley  handed 
the  captain  the  dollar. 

"Better  pass  the  establishment  over  to  the 
boys  now,  Parker ;  you  've  got  a  fair  price  for 
it,"  said  one  man. 

"  I  've  a  calabash  that  I  'd  like  to  dispose  of 
at  the  same  rate.  Call  on  me  when  you  want 
another  ride,  boys,"  said  another. 


WILL  AND  I  TAKE  A  BIDE.  79 

Mr.  Bradley  pointed  his  finger  at  Will,  and 
said  he,  "You,  sir,  start  for  home  !  " 

We  both  started. 

"  We  are  coming  out  better  than  I  expected,^ 
said  I,  as  soon  as  we  were  out  of  hearing.  • 

"  Don't  you  s'pose  I  "11  catch  it?  "  replied  he. 

"  Of  course" ;  but  that  is  n't  so  bad  as  going 
to  prison." 

"  No;  'tis  n't  as  bad,"  said  Will,  gloomily. 


80        '  WE  BOYS. 


# 


CHAPTEE    yil. 

CONSEQUENCES     OF     OUR     RIDE. 


XTHEX  I  reached  home  I  found  father  had 
come  before  me,  and  I  walked  directly 
into  the  room  where  he  was.  I  wanted  he  should 
"settle"  with  me  as  soon  as  possible.  I  stood 
fur  half  a  minute,  cap  in  hand,  before  him.  He 
just  looked  up,  and  said  he,  "You  're  late.  Bob, 
and  you  look  rather  begrimed.  You  'd  better 
go  and  wash,  and  then  ask  mother  for  your 
supper." 

I  washed  and  brushed  up,  and  went  into  the 
dining-room.  Mother  did  n't  say  much  to  me. 
She  looked  as  if  she  had  been  crying. 

As  soon  as  I  had  eaten  what  little  I  wanted, 
I  went  back  into  the  sitting-room ;  but  no  one 
paid  any  attention  to  me.  Father  was  plaj'ing 
Yvith  Freddy  just  as  he  used  to  play  with  me. 
1  went  up  and  stood  beside  them,  but  they 
did  n't    say   aujlhlug    to    me.     I    stole    away 


CONSEQUENCES  OF  OUR  RIDE.  81 

and  sat  down  in  a  corner.  The  lamps  were 
lighted  and  the  room  looked  bright  and  cheerful, 
but  I  sat  back  among  the  shadows,  winking  and 
winkino",  SYv^allowing  and  swallowino;.  Finallv 
I  felt  so  miserable  I  walked  up  to  my  fathci, 
and  said  T,  "  Will  and  I  drove  around  Barcbones 
Hill  with  Capt.  Parker's  mare  this  afternoon." 

"Indeed!"  said  he,  without  looking  up. 
"  Sister  Lovisa,  won't  you  read  aloud  what  the 
Rejjublican  says  about  the  doings  at  Charles- 
ton?" 

Aunt  Lovisa  opened  the  paper  with  much 
rustling,  folded  it  down,  and  began  reading  in 
an  emphatic  voice  that  struck  terror  to  my  soul. 

I  slunk  back  in  the  corner  and  sat  with  my 
arms  folded  and  my  feet  on  the  chair-round  until 
nine  o'clock.  Then  1  slipped  out  without  bid- 
ding any  one  good-night,  and  went  to  bed  in 
the  dark.  I  dreamed  that  Will  and  1  were  fas- 
tened to  the  old  mare's  heels,  and  she  was  drag- 
ging us  around  Barebones  Hill,  while  the  captain 
sifted  red-hot  ashes  over  us. 

The  next  morning  was  pleasant,  but  I  could  n't 
enjoy   it.      Father  treated  me  just   as   usual. 


82  WE  BOYS. 

Mother  looked  sober,  but  let  me  have  all  the 
honey  I  wanted  on  my  griddle-cakes.  I  did  n't 
want  as  much  as  usual.  Aunt  Lovisa  was  in 
Ipellent  spirits,  and  I  felt  sure  justice  was  going 
f"  be  executed  upon  me.  How  I  did  wish  it 
might  be  over  with  ! 

I  went  to  church,  and  when  we  were  going 
down  to  Sabbath  School,  Will  whispered  and 
asked  me  if  I'd  "had  my  licking  yet."  "I  had 
a  regular  dresser  last  night,  and  feel  stiff  as  the 
old  mare  this  morning.  I  never  want  to  set 
eyes  on  either  her  or  the  captain  again,"  said  he. 

I  should  have  been  willing  to  take  two  or 
three  dressers  if  I  could  have  had  the  thing  off 
my  mind. 

Miss  Lane  asked  me  who  slew  Goliath,  and  I 
answered  "  Moses."  Then  all  the  boys  giggled, 
and  Tommy  Taylor  told  her  over  again  what 
I  'd  said,  —  as  if  she'd  been  deaf  the  first  time. 

After  tea  that  night  my  father  invited  me  into 
the  parlor,  and  I  knew  m}^  time  had  come. 
When  the  shutters  are  closed  our  parlor  is  a 
solemn  place,  and  my  father  gave  me  a  solemn 
talk. 


CONSEQUENCES  OF  OUR  RIDE.  83 

He  said  that  taking  the  captain's  team  was 
stealing  the  use  of  property,  and  that  it  was  but 
a  step  from  that  to  stealing  the  property  itself. 
He  said  Will's  having  tempted  me  was  no  ex- 
cuse ;  every  one  who  did  wrong  was  in  some 
way  tempted  to  it.  He  said  he  should  n't  pun- 
ish me  for  going  off  with  the  team,  because  I 
had  already  been  sufficiently  punished.  He  was 
ghid  that  it  was  so  ;  he  wanted  me  to  learn  that 
God  had  so  arranged  the  laws  of  the  universe 
that  every  wrong  act  brings  its  own  punishment, 
just  as  putting  one's  fingers  in  the  fire  burns 
them.  He  said  that  if  Will  and  I  had  had  a 
nice  ride,  and  no  one  had  found  out  about  it,  we 
should  still  some  time  have  suffered  from  the 
injury  done  our  moral  nature. 

He  said  the  lie  I  told  him  also  brought  its 
own  penalty,  but  because  I  was  n't  likely  to  feel 
that  at  present,  he  must  punish  me  in  a  way 
that  I  could  understand  and  remember,  and  that 
would  prevent  my  telling  more  lies  and  doing 
myself  more  injury. 

He  made  me  feel  that  a  falsehood  was  a  very 
serious  affair.     I  did  n't  quite  understand  all  he 


84  WE  BOYS. 

said  ;  but  when  he  told  me  that  I  was  to  be  shut 
up  all  day  IMonday  and  have  nothing  to  eat  but 
bread  and  water,  I  understood  perfectly.  How- 
ever, I  felt  quite  happy  when  I  knew  my  fate, 
and  Freddy  and  I  got  up  in  a  big  chair,  had  a 
meeting,  and  sang,  — 

"  There  is  a  bappy  land, 
Far,  far  away, 
"Where  saints  in  glory  stand, 
Bright,  bright  as  day." 

At  eiijht  o'clock  the  next  mornino^  Aunt 
Lovisa  came  up  to  my  room  with  my  l^reakfast, 
which  was  two  thick  slices  of  bread  and  a  ghiss 
of  water.  She  said  I  was  to  eat  it  in  the  little 
back  chamber,  Avhere  my  father  said  I  was  to 
spend  the  day.  I  took  the  waiter  from  her  and 
walked  into  the  little  room  with  all  the  dignity 
I  could  command.  She  locked  the  d(;or  and 
went  away. 

I  sat  clown  on  tiis  bed,  and  having  placed  the 
waiter  in  the  chair  before  me  played  that  I  w;is 
a  prisoner  shut  up  in  a  tower,  and  Aunt  Lovisa 
was  my  keeper  and  had  just  brought  me  a 
mouldy  crust  and  a  jug  of  water. 


CONSEQUENCES  OF  OUR  RIDE.  85 

After  I  had  eaten  I  sat  dowu  by  the  window. 
It  overlooked  our  back  yard  and  Tommy  Tay- 
lor's fathers  yard.  I  heard  a  great  crov/ing 
and  cackling  among  Mr.  Taylor's  fowls  ;  finally 
one  cock  flew  upon  the  wall  and  came  flopping 
down  through  the  clothes-line  into  our  yard. 
Then  he  stretched  his  neck  and  gawky  legs  and 
ran  for  our  sfarden.  He  began  scratching  in  a 
musk-melon  hill.  The  musk-melons  are  Aunt 
Lovisa's.  She  's  very  fond  of  them,  and  at  first 
I  felt  sorry  that  he  had  gone  at  them ;  then  I 
remembered  how  grimly  she  had  marched  me 
into  confinement,  and  I  felt  wicked,  and  said, 
*'  Go  it.  Cocky  !  " 

He  had  uprooted  one  melon-hill  and  damaged 
another,  when  the  back  door  opened,  and  Aunt 
Lovisa  charged  out  upon  him.  I  had  great  fun 
in  watching  her  chase  him  about  the  garden : 
usually  it  is  I  who  have  to  run  after  the  fowls. 
She  drove  him  home  and  had  an  interview  with 
Mrs.  Taylor.  Mrs.  Taylor  caught  and  thrust 
him  under  the  bushel-basket,  and  I  saw  no 
more  of  him. 

By  and  by  I  lay  down  on  the  bed  and  went 


8Q  WE  BOYS. 

to  sleep.  Aunt  Lovisa  woke  me  by  bringing 
in  the  bread  and  water  for  my  dinner.  A  few 
minutes  after  she  left,  mother  came  up  softly 
and  brought  me  a  saucerful  of  peas  and  a  bit 
of  beefsteak.  She  said  she  did  n't  think  it  was 
good  for  the  health  to  go  all  day  without  some- 
thing warm  and  nourishing. 

I  threw  my  arms  around  her  neck  and  hugged 
and  kissed  her.  She  said  that  if  I  thought  I  could 
remember  and  never  tell  a  lie  again  she  would 
ask  my  father  to  let  me  come  down  to  tea.  I 
said  I  thought  I  could  remember. 

In  the  afternoon  my  room  grew  dull.  I 
could  n't  see  any  one  from  the  window,  though 
I  put  my  head  out  as  far  as  I  dared.  I 
couldn't  find  anything  in  the  bureau  drawers 
but  bed-linen.  I  lay  down  on  the  bed  and 
counted  the  specks  and  spots  on  the  ceiling.  I 
turned  over  and  studied  the  carpet.  I  went  to 
the  window  and  stretched  my  head  out  again, 
but  could  hear  nothing,  see  nothing.  I  wished 
the  rooster  could  get  out.  I  couldn't  go  to 
sleep;  I  couldn't  scare  up  a  fly.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  if  I  wasn't  let  out  at  tea-time  I 
should  die, 


CONSEQUENCES  OF  OUR  RIDE.  87 

I  was  thrumming  on  the  wmdow-sill  and 
counting  ofi*  time  when  a  chip  whizzed  just 
past  my  ear  and  struck  against  the  window- 
frame.  I  looked  down  in  the  yard,  and  saw 
Will  with  a  basket  of  eggs  on  his  arm. 

"In  soHtary  confinement j  are  you,  Bob?" 

I  replied  that  I  was. 

"  I  suspected  as  much.  I  've  had  an  eye  out 
for  you  ever  since  school  closed.  I  had  these 
eggs  to  take  over  to  Mr.  Hammond's,  and  I 
thought  I  "d  just  take  the  back  of  your  house 
on  my  way.  Having  a  serious  time  of  it,  are  n't 
you?" 

"  Oh  !  it 's  dreadful,  WiU.  I  'd  rather  take  a 
dozen  whippings." 

"Not  if  you  had  my  father  to  lay 'em  on,  I 
reckon.  When  I  come  back  from  Dr.  Ham- 
mond's can't  I  in  some  way  get  up  there  and 
'liven  you  up  a  little?" 

"No,  no!  Don't  try  it;  I  wouldn't  have 
you  for  anything,"  said  I;  "I  've  made  up  my 
mind  never  to  do  anytliing  bad  again." 

"  Well,  I  've  made  up  my  mind  never  to 
tempt  you,  and  I  hope  nobody  '11  tempt  me,  for 


88  WE  BOYS. 

this  is  going  to  be  just  about  as  much  of  a  load 
as  I  can  carry.  I  've  got  to  pay  my  father  the 
captain's  charges,  and  I  've  turned  in  all  ray 
molasses  money,  my  half-dolhvr  with  the  hole 
in  it,  and  all  my  coppers,  and  there's  four  dol- 
lars and  eighty-seven  cents  due  yet.  I  've  got 
to  work  that  out  of  my  legs,  running  errands 
and  the  like." 

"  I  shall  turn  in  what  money  I  have,  but  it 
is  n't  much.  Aunt  Lovisa  made  me  put  twenty- 
five  cents  into  the  contribution  box  last  Sun- 
day," said  I. 

"  You  won't  do  any  such  thing,  Cobby ;  I 
shan't  let  you.  This  is  my  debt  of  honor,  and 
it  would  n't  be  proper  for  you  to  meddle  with 
it.  My  self-respect  won't  allow  it.  What 
have  you  had  to  do  up  there  all  day?" 

"Nothing." 

"What  have  you  had  to  look  at?" 

"There  was  Mrs.  Taylor's  rooster,  but  she 
shut  him  up  under  the  bushel-basket." 

"Under  that?"  asked  Will,  nodding  towards 
the  basket. 

"Yes." 


CONSEQUENCES  OF  OUR  RIDE.  89 

"  I  '11  tip  it  over  and  let  him  out  if  you  say 


?' 


so. 

"No,  no,"  said  I,  "don't  let's  get  into  any 
more  scrapes." 

"That 's  so.  You  're  going  to  be  my  guardian 
angel,  tire  n't  you,  Bobby?  No  more  scrapes 
for  me  till  I  get  my  debts  paid." 

Just  then  we  heard  a  door  open  and  shut 
belov/  stairs.  Will  thought  some  one  was  com- 
ing out  the  back  way,  and  started  to  run.  He 
tripped,  and  fell  on  his  face.  Some  of  the  eggs 
britke  in  the  basket  and  some  rolled  out  and 
broke. 

"  Jerusalem  !"  gasped  he,  struggling  up  and 
wiping  the  yolk  off  his  face  with  his  jacket- 
sleeve.     "  There  goes  fifty  cents  more  !  " 

Just  then  mother  came  out.  "O  Will,  poor 
boy  !  "  said  she. 

She  picked  up  the  eggs  that  were  on  the 
ground,  took  the  basket,  and  went  into  the 
house  with  him.  Pretty  soon  he  came  out 
looking  clean  and  fresh  and  with  his  basket 
filled  u})  again. 

"  Look  there  !  "  said  he.     "  She  took  out  all 


90  WE  BOYS. 

the  cracked  and  broken  ones,  washed  off  the 
others,  and  gave  me  enough  to  make  up  my  two 
dozen.     She  's  one  of  the  salt  of  the  earth  !  " 

Off  he  went,  whistling,  dancing  on  one  foot, 
and  swinging  his  basket  in  a  way  that  threat- 
ened to  upset  the  two  dozen  again. 

Not  very  long  after,  mother  called  me  to  tea. 
We  had  it  earlier  and  it  v/as  a  rather  nicer  tea 
than  usual.  Mother  let  me  eat  two  tarts  at  the 
table,  and  after  tea,  when  there  was  no  one  in 
the  room  but  she  and  I,  she  said  I  might  have 
another  if  I  wished. 

Father  played  backgammon  with  me  in  the 
evening,  -and  we  had  very  nice  times. 


7  AM  CASED  FOB.  91 


CHAPTEE    YIIL 

I    AM    CAKED    FOR. 

~\  /TOTHER  poached  the  eggs  she  had  taken 
-^  out  of  Will's  basket  for  breakfast  the 
next  morning,  and  gave  me  all  I  wished.  After- 
wards I  had  the  headache,  and  Aunt  Lovisa 
said  it  was  for  no  other  reason  than  because  I 
had  eaten  too  much  egg,  and  she  did  n't  see  how 
parents  could  go  on  pampering  the  appetites  of 
their  children  when  they  every  day  saw  the  ill 
effects  of  it. 

By  nine  o'clock  my  head  ached  so  badly  that 
mother  said  I  need  n't  go  to  school.  It  did  n't 
feel  much  better  by  afternoon,  but  mother  and 
Aunt  Lovisa  had  an  invitation  out  to  tea,  and 
did  n't  consider  me  sick  enough  to  prevent  their 
going.  Freddy  was  to  stay  with  me,  and  mother 
said  she  would  stop  at  Mr.  Bradley's  and  ask  to 
have  Will  come  over  after  school. 

"  I  have  laid  supper  for  Will  on  the   little 


92  WE  BOYS. 

table,"  said  she,  "  and  if  you  wish  for  anything 
to  eat,  E,obbie,  you  must  ask  him  to  toast  you 
a  slice  of  bread." 

Aunt  Lovisa  came  along  just  then,  and  lifted 
the  napkins  mother  had  spread  f)ver  Will's  sup- 
per. "Quince  preserves  and  i/rree  kinds  of 
cake  I"  said  she  to  herself. 

After  they  had  put  on  their  bonnets  and  shawls 
mother  kissed  me,  Aunt  Lovisa  charged  me 
against  eating  any  preserves  if  I  did  n"t  want  a 
worse  headache  than  1  had,  and  they  both  started. 
At  five  o'clock  Will  came  running  and  puffing 
up  the  street,  hands  in  his  pockets  as  usual. 

"I  had  to  carry  a  bundle  of  dry  goods  up  to 
Mrs.  Davis,  and  coukln't  come  as  early  as  I 
wished,"  said  he.     "  Now,  where  's  that  bread  ?  " 

"What  bread?" 

"  Your  mother  left  word  that  I  was  to  toast 
you  a  slice  of  bread,  and  I  want  to  do  it,  and 
have  it  off  my  mind." 

I  said  I  did  n't  wisli  for  toast ;  should  n't  eat 
it  if  I  had  it. 

"  Can't  help  that.  I  make  it  a  point  nowa- 
days to  obey  orders  and  ask  no  questions." 


I  AM  CABED  FOR.  93 

He  cut  a  slice  of  bread  about  three  quarters 
of  an  inch  thick,  and  whisked  off  into  the 
kitchen.     Fred  and  I  followed. 

Will  threw  open  the  stove-doors,  ran  a  silver 
fork  through  the  bread,  and  set  it  toasting.  It 
burned,  but  he  scraped  off  the  black ;  it  fell  off 
the  fork  and  broke,  but  he  ^picked  out  the  pieces 
and  blew  off  the  ashes.  He  turned  cold  water 
on  it,  and  set  it  in  the  oven  to  warm  while  he 
made  the  tea. 

"They  said  'Put  in  a  teaspoonful  of  tea,'  but 
they  did  n't  tell  how  much  water.  I  should  think 
a  dippcrful  would  be  enough,  should  n't  you  ?  " 

I  said  I  should,  and  he  poured  in  the  dipper- 
ful,  and  sat  down  on  the  floor  to  wait  for  it  to 
boil.  Every  now  and  then  he  twitched  up  the 
cover  to  report  progress.  As  soon  as  the  tea- 
pot began  to  sing  he  snatched  it  off,  and  poured 
me  out  a  cup  of  tea.  It  was  very  light-colored, 
and  Will  said  he  was  afraid  it  was  n't  very  strong, 
but  he  would  put  in  two  teaspoonfuls  of  sugar, 
and  make  it  good. 

After  he  had  prepared  the  tea  he  brought  me 
my  toast.     The  plate  was  very  hot  on  one  side, 


94  WE  BOYS. 

but  the  toast  was  n't  hot  anywhere.  The  butter 
stuck  around  in  little  lumps  that  would  n't  melt. 
It  tasted  a  little  smoky  and  a  little  of  ashes.  I 
tried  to  eat  it,  to  please  Will,  but  could  n't,  and 
I  gave  it  to  Freddy,  who  had  been  looking  on 
as  if  he  thought  it  must  be  a  great  treat.  He 
and  Will  spread  preserves  all  over  it  and  ate 
it  between  them.     They  also  drank  my  tea. 

The  fire  made  my  headache  worse  and  worse, 
and  Will  grew  alarmed  about  me.  He  said  I 
ought  to  go  to  bed  and  have  a  jug  of  hot  water 
at  my  feet ;  his  grandmother,  when  she  was  sick, 
always  bad  a  jug  of  hot  water  at  her  feet. 

"O  Will!"  said  I,  "I  wont." 

"Sposin'  you  should  have  a  shock?  Then  I 
guess  you  'd  Avish  you  'd  done  something.  You 
see,  you  're  sick.  Bob,  and  if  you  don't  keep  your 
feet  warm,  it 's  liable  to  go  to  your  head." 

Then  he  told  me  of  ever  so  many  old  ladies 
who  had  had  shocks  sitting  in  their  chairs,  and 
who,  he  was  pretty  sure,  would  n't  have  had 
them  had  they  been  in  bed  with  jugs  of  hot 
water  at  their  feet. 

He  talked  so  much  about  it  and  seemed  so 


I  AM  CARED  FOR.  95 

confident  that  it  was  the  right  thing  and  the  only 
right  thing  to  do,  that  I  finally  consented  to  be 
put  to  bed  in  mother's  room.  Will  Avas  exceed- 
ingly energetic  in  getting  me  in,  and  he  spread 
an  extra  blanket  and  two  comfortables  on  the 
bed,  and  tucked  me  up  until  I  thought  I  should 
melt.  He  said  I  must  be  kept  warm,  or  it 
would  "strike  in."  Then  he  bustled  around 
after  a  jug.  Fred  was  greatly  excited  about 
having  a  "  chug,"  and  helped  him  search.  They 
found  one  up  garret,  but  the  water  streamed 
out  of  that  as  fast  as  they  turned  it  in.  They 
finally  took  the  vinegar  jug. 

" Don't  that  feel  comfortable,  sonny?"  asked 
Will,  after  he  had  put  it  to  my  feet. 

I  tried  to  think  it  did,  but  as  the  jug  was 
large  and  the  water  in  it  not  warm,  it  really  was 
not  comfortable. 

Will  brought  in  a  piece  of  plum-cake  and  his 
saucerful  of  preserves,  and  sat  down  at  the  head 
of  my  bed.  Every  once  in  a  while  he  would 
ask  me  if  I  did  n't  feel  better. 

"You  don't  really  think  I  shall  have  a  shock, 
do  you.  Will?"  asked  I. 


96  WE  BOYS. 

"  No,  I  don't  think  you  will,  now.  You  can 
move  both  sides,  can't  you  ?  " 

I  tried,  and  said  I  could. 

Will  said  I  must  lie  very  quiet,  and  he  under- 
took to  tell  me  a  story,  but  he  had  to  stop  so 
oiten  to  take  a  bite  of  cake  or  a  spoonful  of  pre- 
serves that  I  did  n't  much  enjoy  the  story. 

"Feel  any  better,  now?"  asked  he,  as  he 
scraped  the  last  drop  of  juice  from  his  saucer. 

"No,"  said  I,  "I  don't.  Will;  I  feel  sick,  and 
my  back  aches." 

"  Back-ache  ?  Dear  me  !  That 's  a  bad  symp- 
tom." 

He  sat  in  a  study  for  a  minute  or  two,  and 
then  declared  I  must  have  a  mustard  paste  on 
that  back. 

"  No,  no,  Will,"  said  I,  "  I  don't  want  anything 
of  the  kind." 

"  S'posing  you  don't,  Bob  ;  it's  what  ought  to 
be  done,  and  it  ought  to  be  done  tiow,  before 
it's  too  late." 

Off  he  started,  with  Fred  at  his  heels,  and 
I  heard  them  rummaging  the  house  after  old 
cloth. 


I  AM  CARED  FOR.  97 

"N'ever  miud,  Freddy,"  said  Will  at  last, 
"  I  '11  take  my  handkerchief." 

Pretty  soon  he  came  in,  with  the  handkerchief 
spread  out  in  his  two  hands,  the  mustard  run- 
ning clown  his  Avrists  and  dripping  on  the  car- 
pet. 

"It  's  too  thin,"  said  he,  "  but  we  could  n't  find 
the  mustard-box,  and  I  emptied  in  here  what 
was  in  the  castor-bottle.  It's  just  the  same 
thing,  you  know." 

For  all  I  could  say  to  the  contrary,  he  would 
apply  it ;  and  it  was  cold  and  ran  down  my  side, 
and  was  n't  nice  at  all.  He  felt  sure,  though, 
that  it  would  help  me  ;  and  after  he  had  tucked 
me  up  again,  smoothed  my  pillows,  and  sprinkled 
a  little  camphor  over  me,  he  seated  himself  and 
began  telling  me  stories.  Every  time  Fred 
stirred,  he  would  stop  and  scold  him  and  order 
him  to  keep  still,  so  that  I  could  go  to  sleep. 

I  did  finally  drop  asleep,  and  when  I  awoke 
mother  and  Aunt  Lovisa  had  returned.  Mother 
was  bending  over  me,  with  her  hand  on  my 
forehead.  Aunt  Lovisa  was  lamenting  over  the 
state  of  the  bedroom  carpet. 

7 


98  VTE  BOYS. 

I  was  quite  sick  through  the  night,  and  in  the 
morning  father  sent  for  Dr.  Hammond. 

Will  looked  in  on  his  way  to  school,  and 
said  my  face  was  a  regular  magenta  color.  He 
offered  to  stay  and  help  take  care  of  me  ;  but 
mother  thanked  him  and  declined. 

Dr.  Hammond  said  I  had  the  scarlet  fever. 
I  was  frightened  at  first,  but  the  doctor  said  I 
wasn't  very  sick  and  he  'd  no  thoughts  of  allow- 
ing me  to  be  very  sick ;  I  was  only  going  to 
be  kept  in  the  house  and  be  waited  upon,  and 
have  the  parlor  ornaments  to  look  at ;  and  he 
said  I  might  order  Aunt  Lovisa  around  to  my 
heart's  content. 

It  seemed  very  strange  that  I  did  n't  care  more 
about  looking  at  thmgs  that  I  want  when  I  'm 
well  and  can't  have.  It  seemed  strange,  too,  to 
have  some  one  lying  in  the  room  with  me  all 
night,  and  to  have  the  lamp  burning,  to  feel  hot 
and  restless,  and  disturbed  by  noises,  to  be  tak- 
ing something  out  of  a  teaspoon  every  few  min- 
utes, and  not  wishing  anything  to  eat. 

Thursday,  after  school,  Ed  Hammond,  Gus- 
tus  Ilillmau,  and  Homer  came  in  to  sec  me. 


I  AM  CARED  FOR.  99 

Will  could  n't  come  because  he  'cl  never  had  the 
fever. 

Ed  brought  me  some  powders  from  his  father, 
and  he  brought  me  a  couple  of  illustrated  papers 
and  a  letter  from  Will.  Gustus  gave  me  a  pen- 
cil with  a  blue  lead,  and  Home  emptied  his 
pockets  on  the  table  and  offered  me  my  choice 
of  the  articles.  I  didn't  see  anything  I  cared 
for  but  his  pocket-rule,  and  I  knew  he  prized 
that  like  the  apple  of  his  eye ;  so  I  said  I  would 
take  his  top.  Then  he  marched  up  and  gave 
me  the  rule  also.  It  was  very  kind  in  him,  and 
I  invited  him  to  come  again ;  but  mother  said 
after  he  left  that  she  couldn't  encouras^e  his  com- 
ing  often,  because  he  talked  so  loudly  about 
"when  he  had  the  fever,"  and  agitated  me  so 
badly.  She  liked  Ed  because  he  was  quiet  and 
gentle. 

This  is  the  note  Will  sent. 

"  Thuesday  Afternoon. 
"Dkar  Bob,  — 

"I  'm  sorry  you  're  down,  but  I  expected  it. 

You  did  n't  appear  like  your:relf  Tuesday,  and  I 

told  Freddy  while  we  were  hunting  for  the  jug, 


100  WE  BOYS. 

'Freddy,'  said  I,  'he  's  going  to  be  sick.'  Did 
you  know  I  sent  for  your  mother?  After  you 
^vent  to  sleep  there,  so  like  a  Uttle  lamb,  I  took 
your  wrist  to  feel  youv  pulse,  but  I  couldn't 
find  an}^  pulse.  That  frightened  me,  f  sr  I  knew 
what  ailed  old  Mr.  Newton  when  he  died  wilh 
the  typhoid  fever  was,  they  couldn't  find  any 
pulse ;  so  I  told  Freddy  to  run  as  fast  as  he 
could  and  get  your  mother.  Fred  got  lost,  and 
there  would  have  been  bad  times  had  n't  Mr. 
Eoyce  stumbled  upon  him,  and  known  whose 
boy  he  was,  and  hunted  up  your  mother.  Do 
you  have  to  take  much  medicine?  Ed  has  some 
powders  for  you,  and  I  tried  to  make  him  let 
me  touch  my  tongue  to  them,  just  to  see  what 
you've  come  to,  but  he  wouldn't.  If  they're 
bad,  quince  jelly  is  good  to  take  the  taste  out. 
"Do  3^{)U  know  what  brought  it  on?  Father 
says  it  may  be  because  I  dragged  you  around 
Barebones  Hill  in  the  heat,  and  that  it  ought  to 
be  an  awful  warning  to  me.  I  hope  'twas  n't. 
I  can't  Wiite  any  more  now,  for  Ed  is  hurrj'ing 
me  up. 

"Devotedly,  affectionately,  etc., 

"  Will." 


I  AM  CARED  FOR.  101 

Friday  Ed  called  again  aud  brought  me  liis 
and  Gustus's  photograph  albums  to  look  at.  He 
also  brought  me  another  letter  from  Will,  —  so 
long  a  one  that  mother  had  to  read  it  to  me. 

"At  School,  Friday  Afteenoon. 
"First    class    in   Grammar    reciting,    master 
scolding  because  they  have  n't  looked  out  their 
parsing    lessons,    Almiua    Harris    crying,    Ike 
Tucker  muttering. 

"Dear  Bob, — 

"Don't  you  wish  you  was  here  ?  I  do.  "We  've 
got  to  stay  after  school  to  recite  our  Geography 
again.  We  're  in  '  Sahara,  or  the  Great  Desert,' 
and  it  *s  hard  work  getting  through ;  we  're  over- 
whelmed by  clouds  of  sand,  and  are  as  badly  off 
as  the  camel  in  the  picture.  I  went  down  three 
in  spelling  to-day,  and  am  now  at  the  foot. 
Homer  and  I  are  going  to  have  a  dialogue  next 
time  we  speak,  David  and  Goliath.  He  's  David 
and  I'm  Gohath.  He's  the  largest,  but  I've 
the  most  voice  and  can  dehver  the  challenge 
best. 

"Did    the   thunder-shower  Friday  afternoon 


102  WE  BOYS. 

shake  your  nerves  any  ?  Was  n't  it  a  stunner  ? 
We  could  n't  see  to  study,  and  boys  and  girls 
had  their  recess  together.  The  girls  were  some 
of  them  white,  some  green,  and  some  blue. 
They  huddled  together,  and  kept  saying,  '  Oh  ! 
how  dark!'  'What  is  comino;?'  'Is  there 
going  to  be  a  whirlwind  ? ' 

"  Every  time  it  thundered  some  of  'cm  would 
clap  their  hands  over  their  ears.  Rose  and  Nel- 
lie, with  their  arms  around  one  another,  sat  on 
the  top  of  a  desk  crying.  Home  and  I  tried 
to  comfort  'em  and  raise  their  drooping  spirits, 
but  we  were  n't  appreciated. 

"Cynthia  all  at  once  started  up  and  declared 
this  pretending  to  be  so  afraid  of  thunder  show- 
ers, spiders,  and  snakes  was  all  affectation ; 
said  she  'd  dare  run  down  through  the  pine 
woods  to  Ferris's  old  grist-mill.  Home  stumped 
her  to  do  it.  Ike  offered  her  a  quarter  if  she 
would  go  down  to  the  mill  and  b:ick,  and  Sam 
Harris  offered  another  quarter.  The  sky  was 
black  as  ink,  wind  blowing,  leaves  and  dust  ?ij- 
ing,  lightning  flashing,  thunder  crashing,  and 
rain  expected  every  minute ;  but  Cynthia  just 


I  AM  CARED  FOR.  103 

threw  on  Almiiia  Harris's  old  water-proof,  and 
away  she  went.  She  came  back  a  little  after 
the  first  burst  of  rain,  and  brought  a  sprig  of 
that  elder  that  grows  beside  the  mill.  Is  n't  she 
a  brick?     We  boys  hurrahed  for  her. 

"'How  did  it  look  among  the  pines  ?'  asked 
Ike. 

" ' Dark,'  said  she.     ''Where  's  my  money  ? ' 

"Before  the  rain  was  through,  the  school-house 
yard  was  full  of  little  puddles,  and  the  boys 
from  Miss  Rice's  and  Miss  Mixer's  schools  came 
out  under  umbrellas  and  barefoot,  and  paddled 
around  in  the  water.  Tommy  Taylor  oiT  with 
his  shoes  and  stockings,  rolled  up  his  trowsers, 
and  went  in  with  them.  I  was  just  going  in 
myself  when  the  bell  rang. 

"The  master  thinks  I've  been  lonfir  enouijh 

drawing    my    map    of    Sahara,    and    I    shall 

have  to  read  this  to  the  school  if  I  don't  wind 

off. 

"Y'rs  devotedly, 

"Will. 

"P.  S.  — Won't  it  be  too  bad  if  you  lose  the 
Fourth?" 


104  WE  BOYS. 

For  the  ucxt  three  days  I  was  so  sick  that  I 
lay  ia  bed  all  day  and  had  the  room  darkened. 
I  did  n't  see  or  hear  from  any  of  the  boj^s,  thouuh 
mother  afterwards  told  mo  that  they  called  at 
the  back  door  to  ask  after  mo.  Tuesday  I  was 
much  better,  and  Ed  came  again,  bringing  me 
another  letter,  and  a  bouquet  as  large  as  a  peck 
measure  from  AVill. 

"  Bobby  Dear,  — 

"  I  Ve  been  greatly  distressed 'because  you  Ve 
been  worse,  but  the  doctor  says  this  morning 
you  're  coming  out  right,  and  my  appetite  is 
better.  To-morrow  is  the  Fourth.  There  is  n"t 
going  to  be  much  of  a  .se??ebration.  Fire-crackers 
are  cheap,  and  if  I  wasn't  so  badly  in  debt  I 
should  lay  in  heavily  for  them.  Father  says  he 
will  give  me  just  one  bunch  and  no  more.  That 
I  call  putting  a  fellow  on  a  short  allowance. 

"I  wish  I  had  something  to  send  you,  but  I 
have  n't,  so  I  send  some  flowers.  I  send  you 
some  of  every  variety  I  could  get.  That  double 
sunflower  is  one  I  asked  Mrs.  Deacon  Ciapp  for, 
especially  for  you  ;  that  green  around  it  is  south- 


I  AM  CARED  FOR.  105 

ernwood  ;  you  '11  find  some  white  rosebuds  and 
a  japonica  Mrs.  Eoyce  sent ;  that  red  stuff  be- 
tween the  saffron  rose  and  the  heliotrope  is  a 
''beau  blossom,  —  I  got  it  off  a  vine  that  runs 
over  the  deacon's  buttery  window  ;  you  '11  find 
four  different  kinds  of  bachelor-buttons.  I  've 
tied  them  up  with  my  old  hat-band.  The  hat 
is  used  up  ;  it 's  been  breaking  away  and  fraying 
out  all  along  back.  Yesterday  I  wet  it  through 
and  through  to  keep  my  head  cool,  and  when  it 
got  dry  and  stiff  I  sat  down  upon  it  by  accident 
and  smashed  it  all  to  flinders. 

"  Home  has  got  three  bunches  of  fire-crackers 
and  a  half  dozen  Catherine  wheels.  He  is  sroihir 
to  give  you  part.  I  don't  suppose  you  can 
write,  but  send  me  some  word  by  Ed. 

'  Y'rs  affectionately, 

"Will." 

Aunt  Lovisa  took  the  bouquet,  and  turned  it 
around  before  her  slowly.  Then  she  looked  up 
at  Ed,  and  they  both  laughed.  She  was  going 
to  take  the  bouquet  to  pieces  and  assort  the 
flowers,  but  I  would  n't  allow  her.  I  had  it  put 
in  a  big  pitcher  and  set  on  my  stand. 


106  WE  BOYS. 

Mother  was  tired  out  and  Aunt  Lovisa  had 
the  headache,  so  Ed  watched  with  mo  that  night. 
He  took  excellent  care  of  me.  In  the  night, 
when  I  was  restless,  he  rolled  me  up  in  a  blan- 
ket, took  me  in  his  arms,  and  told  me  long, 
queer  stories  that  put  me  to  sleep. 


CONVALESCING.  107 


CHAPTEE   IX. 

CONVALESCING. 

TNDEPENDENCE  day  Homer  stumbled  into 
my  room,  knocking  against  the  bedstead, 
tipping  over  a  foot-stool,  depositing  his  hat 
among  my  medicines,  and  finally  presenting 
me  with  a  lot  of  fireworks  from  himself  and 
the  other  boys. 

Will,  Charlie,  and  Tommy  Taylor,  with 
mother's  permission,  came  outside  my  window 
and  looked  in  through  the  glass.  Will  said  I 
looked  the  worse  for  wear.  Charlie  Payson 
said  my  chin  had  sharpened,  but  he  could  see 
that  it  was  the  same  old  fuUow.  Tommy 
wanted  to  know  if  my  appetite  had  come  yet. 
They  all  said  they  'd  give  considerable  to  have 
me  out  on  the  sidewalk  again.  They  blew  oiF 
their  best  fireworks  for  my  edification,  and  with 
a  series  of  elegant  bows  departed. 


108  WE  BOYS. 

The  latter  part  of  the  week  I  had  more  let- 
ters.    Will  wrote  :  — 

"  Dear  Bobby,  — 

"  I  am  staying  in  from  recess  in  order  to  have 
a  letter  ready  to  send  by  Ed.  Dr.  Hammond 
says  I  exposed  myself  to  the  fever  by  going  in  to 
see  you  that  first  Wednesday  morning.  We  've 
got  to  miscellaneous  examples  in  fractions,  and 
I  'd  as  lief  have  a  fever  as  not.  We  're  in  per- 
iphrastic conjugations  also,  and  the  periphras- 
tics  are  tremendous,  Bob.  We  go  in  ten  feet 
deep  and  don't  strike  bottom  then.  Conjuga- 
tions and  sour  strawberries  give  me  the  colic  so 
that  I  don't  sleep  nights  ;  and  if  scarlet  fever  or 
somethins:  else  don't  set  in  I  shan't  stand  it  long:. 

"  Won't  the  blanc-mange,  canned  peaches,  and 
quince  jelly  that  you  '11  have  when  you  begin  to 
get  better  be  nice  ? 

"A  fancy-g<)ods  dealer  has  moved  into  the 
corner  store  in  Wheeler  &  Spooner's  building, 
and  he  has  some  of  the  neatest  hair-brushes 
you  ever  saw,  —  mirror  in  the  back  and  coml) 
in  the  side.     I  've  been  in  five  times  to  ask  the 


CONVALESCING.  109 

price  of  'em.  The  last  time  he  would  n't  show 
'em  to  me ;  said  he,  'If  3^ou  want  one  of  those 
brushes  you  can  have  it  for  a  dollar  and  a  half. 
If  you  don't  want  it,  I  don't  want  you  running 
here  twice  a  day  to  ask  the  price  of  'em.' 

"I  told  him  I  did  want  one,  but  I  couldn't 
command  the  necessary.  That  I  thought  would 
melt  his  heart,  but  it  did  n't.  I  can't  have  any- 
thing anyway.  All  the  money  I  get  has  to  go 
for  damages  to  the  old  mare.  I've  sold  my 
jackknife  to  Gustus  for  fifty  cents  and  turned 
that  towards  the  debt.  They've  got  a  lot  of 
finger-rings  at  the  new  store,  good  as  gold,  and 
only  a  shilliug  apiece.  Charlie  has  given  one 
with  a  red  stone  in  it  to  Nellie  Royce.  So  what 
do  you  think  of  that,  my  boy  ?  Fourth  of  July 
didn't  amount  to  much,  so  you  didn't  lose  any- 
thing there.     School  closes  in  two  weeks. 

"Yours,         "William." 

I  had  a  very  nice  letter  from  Charlie.  Here 
is  a  part  of  it :  — 

..."  Down  in  that  glen  back  of  our  house 
I've  found  two  black  birch  trees.     The  boys 


110  WE  BOYS. 

went  down  with  me  last  night  and  got  some 
bark.  It 's  sjilendid,  and  I  broke  oflf  two  sticks 
to  send  you,  but  mother  said  you  couldn't  eat 
it.  She  is  going  to  send  you  a  lot  of  nice 
things   by  Mike. 

"  I  have  got  a  job  with  my  wheelbarrow,  — 
wheeling  loam  to  put  around  the  trees  on  the 
common.  I  worked  every  minute  that  i  could 
get  (;ut  of  school  yesterday,  and  earned  foity-five 
cents.  Mr.  Spooner  came  across  the  common 
and  said  that  when  I  was  through  with  that  job 
he  should  like  to  employ  me  to  wheel  gi-oceries 
home  to  his  customers.  Mother  and  Mabel  are 
mortified,  but  father  says  I  may  do  just  what  I 
please  with  that  wheelbarrow.  As  soon  as  I 
can  earn  money  enough  to  buy  a  second-hand 
wagon  I  am  going  to  hire  the  black  horse  of 
father  and  going  into  the  express  business. 
.  .  .  We  played  leap-frog  yesterday,  and 
Will  burst  out  his  pantaloons  so  that  he  had 
to  go  home." 

I  received  the  following,  with  many  blots, 
from  Tommy :  — 


CONVALESCING.  1 1 1 

"  Feiend  Robert  : 

"As  I  have  a  few  moments  to  spare  and  Char- 
lie and  Will  are  writing  you,  I  thought  I  would 
write.  How  do  you  do?  I  am  well.  I  am 
sorry  you  are  sick.  What  hot  wether  we  do 
have!  My  dog  is  dead  —  killed.  We  was 
afraid  he  was  going  to  have  the  hydrarfoby. 
Did  you  have  to  take  caster  oil?  Pilg  is  bad 
enuf,  but  that  and  rubarb  is  worse.  I  don't 
think  of  no  more  news  now. 

"Very  Eespeckfully  Yours, 

"Thoivias  Tayxoe." 

m\\  sent  me  a  picture  of  the  spelling  class, 
with  Cynthia  going  from  the  foot  to  the  head, 
and  a  wooden  contrivance  of  his  own  manufac- 
ture, labelled  "Jumping- Jack."  The  next  I 
heard  from  him,  Home  brought  me  word  that 
lie  was  down  with  the  fever. 

"He  says  that  it's  worse  than  he  expected, 
and  he  hopes  you  won't  undertake  any  more 
such  business  if  you  want  him  for  a  partner," 
said  Home. 

I  told  Home  to  tell  him  the  getting  well  was 


112        .  wi:  BOYS. 

pleasant,  and  I  sent  him  a  fancy  mould  of  jelly 
j\Irs.  Pay  sou  had  given  me. 

Then  I  kept  hearing  day  after  day  that  he 
was  n't  as  well,  did  u't  rest  well  nights,  and  was 
delirious  ;  but  I  was  getting  on  so  nicely  myself, 
it  did  n't  occur  to  me  that  he  could  be  in  danger, 
until  one  evening  Ed  came  in  to  see  me,  and  I 
noticed  that  he  was  very  sober.  I  felt  quite 
lively,  but  I  couldn't  get  him  to  smile.  After 
he  left  my  room  I  heard  him  speaking  in  a  low 
tone  to  mother,  and  heard  Will's  name  mentioned. 
It  flashed  across  me  that  Will  was  dead ! 

"  Mother  !  "  shrieked  I. 

She  came  in,  looking  frightened. 

"  Mother,  is  Will  dead  ?  Tell  me  truly,  is 
Will  dead?"  said  I,  grasping  her  arm. 

"No,  Eobbie,  he  is  n't  dead,"  said  she,  put- 
ting her  arm  around  me  and  drawing  me  to  a 
chair. 

"He  's  going  to  die,  then?" 

"I  hope  not." 

"But  they 're  afraid  so!  They're  afraid  so, 
are  n't  they,  mother  ?  " 

She  put  both  her  arms  around  me  and  pressed 


CONVALESCING.  113 

me  close  up  against  her.  "My  boy,  Eobbie," 
said  she,  "it 's  all  in  God's  hands." 

"  Mother,  mother,"  cried  I,  "I  can't  have  Will 
die  !     Why,  I  can't,  mother  !  " 

She  only  held  me  the  tighter,  and  kissed  my 
forehead. 

"Mother,"  said  I,  "call  Ed." 

Ed  had  left  the  house,  but  he  came  back.  His 
eyes  moistened  when  he  looked  at  me. 

"  'T  is  n't  so ,  is  it,  Ed  ?  "  asked  I. 

"  They  '11  do  all  they  can  for  him,  Rob." 

"And  they  won't  let  him  die,  you  don't  think 
they  will,  do  you,  Ed?" 

"I  don't  know,  I  don't  know,  Eob  dear."' 

"  Can't  somebody  do  something,  —  can't  your 
father?  Why,  they  must !  I  can't  live  without 
Will." 

"Eob  dear,"  said  Ed,  with  a  glance  towards 
mother,  "  we  must  ask  Him  who  gave  us  each 
other  to  spare  us  to  one  another." 

I  went  to  him  to  beg  him  to  have  something 
done.  Mother  took  me  away  and  held  me  in 
her  arms. 

"Eob,  my  dear  Eob,  my  darling!     This  is 
8 


114  WE  BOYS. 

your  first  hard  lesson.  You  must  learn  to 
wait." 

"  To  wait,  mother  ?  To  wait  for  It  to  conie 
and  take  Will  ?  How  can  I  wait  ?  Carry  me 
to  him,  mother  !     Please  carry  me  to  Will !  " 

"  To  wait  God's  will,  Eob.  We  have  to  learn 
to  be  still  and  wait.  He  gave  you  back  to  me  ; 
He  will,  I  think,  give  Will  back  to  his  mother." 

She  held  me  closer  and  closer;  and  in  her 
arms  it  seemed,  in  some  way,  as  if  my  life  was 
protected,  and  nothing  quite  so  bad  as  Will's 
going  out  of  it  could  ever  happen.  She  laid  her 
lips  on  my  forehead,  and  rocked  gently  until  I 
went  to  sleep. 

When  I  awoke  it  was  night,  the  lamp  was 
turned  down,  and  mother  lay  asleep  upon  the 
lounge.  Something  hard  and  heavy  lay  upon 
my  heart ;  I  heard  the  tick,  tick  of  the  little 
clock  in  the  sitting-room,  and  it  came  to  me 
that  that  something  was  Will. 

I  did  n't  move,  for  I  did  n't  want  to  arouse 
mother ;  but  I  lay  in  the  shadows  while  the  clock 
in  the  sitting-room  ticked,  and  the  lamp,  turned 
down  low,  made  a  little  singing  noise,  and  the 


CONVALESCING.  115 

insects  out  through  the  open  windows  chirped, 
and  I  thought  of  Will.  I  thought  of  all  tho 
plays  we  'd  played,  and  all  the  bright  things 
he  'd  said  ;  I  thought  of  all  the  scrapes  he  'd  led 
me  into  and  all  the  ways  he  'd  helped  rae  out, 
and  how  he  'd  never  deserted  me,  and  how  we 
had  sometimes  quarrelled,  and  always  made  up, 
and  had  always,  always  loved  each  other;  and 
the  load  on  my  heart  grew  harder  and  harder 
and  heavier  and  heavier. 

"  Mother,"  cried  I,  "  mother,  may  n't  I  go  to 
the  window  and  put  my  face  against  the  pane, 
where  last  I  saw  Will's  ?  " 

So  I  went  to  the  window,  and  there  I  saw  the 
flash  of  his  eye,  I   saw  his  lips  twitch,  and  I 
,  saw  him  toss  back  thqt:  lock  that  was  always 
falling  on  his  forehead. 

Mother  drew  me  away. 

"  Bring  me  the  notes,  the  pictures,  the  wooden 
images,  and  all  the  funny  things  he  has  sent 
me, —  all  of  them,  mother." 

So  I  lay  down  holding  the  things  on  my 
bosom.  Mother  sat -in  a  chair  by  the  bed,  and 
stroked  down  the  side  of  my  forehead. 


116  WE   BOYS. 

."You  mustn't  feel  so,  Eob,  you  must  not,'' 
said  she. 

She  kept  up  the  movement  with  her  fingers 
about  my  temples,  and  after  a  httle  I  nsked 
her,  "Mother,  would  it  be  praying  to  say,  'Our 
Father,  who  art  m  Heaven,  let  Will  live '  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Rob." 

I  closed  my  eyes  and  said  it  softly  to  myself, 
and  the  little  mantel-clock  in  the  sitting-room 
and  the  singing  lamp  on  my  table  and  the 
chirping  insects  out  at  the  open  wind  iw  seemed 
to  be  saying,  "Our  Father,  our  Father,  our- 
Father,  who  art  in  Heaven,  let  Will  live  !  " 

She  kept  up  the  motion  with  her  fingers,  and 
by  and  by  I  went  to  sleep. 

In  the  morning  I  was  worse,  but  Will  was 
better.  Dr.  Hammond  —  dear  old  doctor!  — 
called  to  see  me,  and  said  that  in  a  fortnight's 
time  he  would  have  Will  and  I  picking  chicken- 
bones  together. 

I  was  so  happy  all  that  day  that  I  wanted  to 
sing  and  shout.  I  played  on  mother's  old  accor- 
deon  until  my  arms  ached,  and  Aunt  Lovisa 
said  she  was  crazy. 


CONVALESCING.  117 

A  fortnight  more,  and  Will  had  so  far  im- 
proved that  I  was  allowed  to  call  on  him.  We 
were  so  weak  that  we  both  lau2;'hed  and  cried 
when  we  met.  That  seemed  to  set  every  one 
else  laughing  and  crying,  and  we  had  a  very 
funny  time  all  around. 

Homer,  who  had  followed  our  carriage  over, 
bobbed  in,  and  said  we  looked  like  two  after- 
noon shadows. 

I  did  n't  make  a  long  call  that  time,  but  the 
next  week  I  went  over  and  stayed  all  day.  Will 
felt  pretty  well,  and  was  as  full  of  old  Nick  as 
he-  could  hold.  We  were  so  weak  we  hadn't 
either  of  us  a  bit  of  self-control,  and  when  any- 
thing particularly  funny  was  said  or  done  we 
just  keeled  over  on  the  bed  and  rolled  and 
giirgled 

We  had  our  dinner  laid  out  for  us  on  a  stand 
in  Will's  room,  with  various  dishes^ that  couldn't 
be  accommodated  on  the  stand  sittinsr  around  in 
adjacent  chairs.  We  got  to  giggling  over  some- 
thing we  found  in  the  chicken,  and  tipped  over 
the  stand.  Will  was -afraid  the  gravy  would 
grease  the  carpet,  and  sopped  it  up  with  a  cor- 


118  WE  BOYS. 

iier  of  a  bed-blanket.  Mrs.  Bradley  came  in, 
and  while  she  was  picking  up  things  I  sat  down 
in  the  chair  that  had  the  cranberry  sauce  in  it, 
and  that  made  dreadful  work  for  me. 

After  dinner  I  was  sent  into  the  sitting-room 
to  take  a  nap  on  the  lounge,  and  Will  was  put 
to  bed ;  but  I  could  hear  him  tossing  around, 
and  he  had  one  slat  in  his  bedstead  that  he  kept 
squeaking,  sometimes  high,  sometimes  low.  He 
seemed  to  be  trying  to  play  a  tune  with  it. 
Then  he  would  spring  up  and  call,  "Bob,  you 
awake  ?  "  "  You  got  to  sleep  yet,  Bob  ?  "  "  Don't 
you  smell  cranberry  sauce.  Bob?" 

Then  he  had  a  turn  of  rattling  the  foot-board, 
and  of  snoring  violently.  1  had  grown  a  little 
drowsy  when  I  opened  my  eyes  and  saw  him 
standing  in  the  door,  his  face  on  a  broad  grin. 

"  Here 's  the  sleeping  Beauty  !  Only  twenty- 
five  cents  admission,  gentlemen.  lie  wakes  up 
once  in  eight-and-forty  hours  to  take  his  cran- 
berry sauce.     Walk  up,  gentlemen  !  " 

I  threw  a  pillow  at  him,  and  he  darted  away, 
but  that  was  the  last  of.  our  nap. 

When  I  went  into  his  room  ao-ain  he  wanted 


CONVALESCING.  119 

to  know  how  many  "  wish-bones  "  I  'd  saved  up  ; 
said  he  had  five  a-diying,  and  was  going  to 
keep  his  father  buying  chickens  until  he  had  a 
dozen. 

When  I  went  home  he  gave  me  a  little  wooden 
pill-box  that  he  said  would  be  nice  to  keep  per- 
cussion caps  in,  a  Tale  of  a  Shipwrecked  Mari- 
ner, and  a  small  bag  of  cranberries. 

We  were  both  sick  the  next  day,  but  rallied 
soon,  and  Will  returned  my  visit.  Aunt  Lovisa 
was  obliged  to  leave  the  house  before  night. 

The  week  after,  I  spent  two  days  at  Will's 
house,  and  he  spent  two  at  mine.  We  rode  out 
together  and  returned  the  many  calls  that  had 
been  made  upon  us.  Tommy  Taylor,  when  not 
otherwise  engaged,  ran  after  the  carriage,  and 
wherever  we  stopped  he  held  the  gate  open  and 
giinned  pleasantly.  Charlie  Paysou  we  fre- 
quently saw  hard  at  work  with  his  wheelbarrow. 
Home  was  usually  about  the  tin-shop,  and 
seemed  to  be  either  unloading  or  loading  up 
paper-rags.  He  manifested  a  deep  interest  in 
our  diet. 

"The  strengthening  things  a  fellow  has   to 


120  WE  BGYS. 

take  when  he 's  getting  up  from  a  fever  are  the 
best  part  of  it,"  said  he. 

Our  hands  and  faces  skinned,  and  Will  took  a 
diabolical  pleasure  in  peeling  them.  He  peeled 
himself  till  Tie  drew  blood,  and  then  he  attacked 
me  ;  nothing  but  a  vigorous  resistance  kept  him 
off.  Our  hair  began  to  come  out,  and  he  ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  there  would  n't  bo  a  spear 
of  it  left. 

"  How  funny  we  should  look  with  our  heads 
bare  !  I  should  want  mine  shiny,  like  that  bald 
spot  on  Dea.  Clapp's,  and  then  I  should,  want 
my  ears  to  stand  out  straight  like  ]Mrs.  Taylor's 
baby's." 

I  was  horrified,  but  "Will  brushed  and 
combed,  and  pulled  his  hair  out  b}^  handfuls, 
until  he  began  to  look  as  if  his  wishes  were  to 
be  gratified.  Then  he  complained  that  his*  head 
was  cold,  and  he  wanted  a  flannel  night-cap. 
His  mother  sewed  a  piece  of  red  flannel  cup 
shape,  and  he  ornamented  it  with  a  wide  cotton 
ruflie,  and  put  it  on  whenever  any  of  the  boys 
called. 

Homer  told  us  frankly  that  even  if  we  dressed 


'M, 


CONVALESCmO.  121 

up  our  best,  we  looked  like  the  old  Scratch. 
We  had  many  invitations  out,  and  Will  said  he 
should  accept  them  just  the  same  as  if  he  had 
as  inuch  hair  as  Absalom. 

"  'T  was  n't  Absaloni  that  had  the'hair ;  't  was 
his  brother,"  said  I. 

^Irs.  Pajson  invited  us  to  spend  a  day  there, 
and  we  fared  sumptuously,  while  all  the  ser- 
vants about  the  establishment  were  kept  runnino- 
to  wait  on  us.  But  it  seemed  to  mo  the  house 
was  hned  with  mirrors,  and  our  ragged  faces 
and  thinly-covered  heads  looked  out  from  all 
sides  of  the  room. 

Mrs.  Hammond  gave  us  an  entertainment, 
and  there  we  met  among  others  Cynthia  Strong 
and  Sue  Vallandigham.  They  seemed  to  regard 
us  with  a  kind  of  awe. 

"At  one  time  I  little  expected  to  ever  see 
you  again,  Will,"  said  Sue,  solemnly. 

Will  bobbed  his  bare  head,  and  Cynthia  eyed 
him  severely. 

"I  should  think  that  such  a  sickness  must  be 
an  awful  warning,"  said  she.  "The  ])oy  that 
keeps  on  in  his  evil  course  after  it  must  indeed 
be  hardened." 


122  WE  BOYS. 

The  bare  head  bobbed  ao-aiu. 

Mrs.  Taylor  invited  us  over  to  visit  Tommy 
one  afternoon,  and  though  we  didn't  have  much 
besides  hard  gingerbread  and  rhubarb  pie,  and 
the  l)aby  cried  almost  all  the  time,  it  showed 
her  disposition. 

We  had  plum  preserves  on  the  table,  and 
after  Tommy  had  scraped  his  dish  clean  he 
asked  me  if  I  was  going  to  leave  mine,  'cause 
if  I  was  he  'd  eat  it ;  said  his  mother  did  n't 
often  get  plum  preserves.  Tommy's  manners 
are  dreadful. 

And  last  of  all,  who  but  the  master  should 
invite  us  to  dinner !  Will  said  he  should  n't 
have  been  more  surprised  had  he  been  invited 
to  a  seat  with  a  full  bench  of  judges.  I  thought 
I  should  as  lief  go  to  jail  for  a  festal  dinner  as 
to  the  master's  ;  but  we  found  Home  and  Charlie 
there,  and  we  had  a  splendid  time. 

Every  one  has  appeared  glad  to  see  us  upon 
the  street  again  and  ready  to  d.)  us  a  good  turn. 
Even  old  Capt.  Parker,  whom  we  saw  in  the 
market  selling  pears,  gave  each  of  us  a  couple. 
They  were  gnarly,  to  be  sure,  but  I  suppose  it 


COWVALESCING.  123 

"was  as  generous  for  him  to  give  those  as  it 
would  have  been  for  a  different  man  to  give  fair 
ones. 

Vrill  says  one  of  the  best  things  about  being 
sick  is  you  find  out  where  some  people's  good 
streaks  are. 


124  WE  BOYS. 


CHAPTER    X. 

"WE    3IASQUEEADE. 

~\TT"ILL  and  I  spent  the  most  of  our  school 

vacation  out  on  his  grandfather's  farm. 

We  had  a  splendid  time,  and  earned  enough  at 

work  at  haying  to  pa}^  off  the  Capt.  Parker  debt. 

-  The  great  event  we  heard  most  about  during 
vacation  was  the  robbery  of  the  Graceville 
Bank.  The  burglars  had  n't  been  found  when 
school  began. 

All  the  boys  were  on  hand  the  first  day. 
Charlie  had  been  doing  great  business  with  his 
wheelbarrow  during  vacation,  and  had  taken  on 
a  business  air  that  made  him  seem  about  five 
years  my  senior. 

Homer  seemed  to  feel  that  he  had  distin- 
guished himself  by  having  a  boil,  and  talked  a 
great  deal  about  what  he  "he  did  for  it."  He 
acted  Idnd  of  proud  of  it,  just  as  Tommy  Tay- 
lor's mother  does  of  her  baby.     Tommy  sits 


WS  AIASqUEEADE.  125 

with  Home,  and  once  Home  put  up  his  hand, 
and  said  he,  "  Can't  Tom  Taylor  stop  hitting 
my  bile  ?  " 

Will  was  in  remarkable  high  spirits.     One 
of  his  coat-pockets  stuck  out  more  than  usual, 
and  he  would  every  once  in  a  while  stop  study- 
ing and  clap  his  hand  around  upon  that  pocket 
as   if  he   was    afraid   he   had   lost   something. 
When  we   were   at   the   blackboard,  with  our 
backs   to   the   school,    he    winked   at   me   and 
tapped   on   his  pocket,  as  if  there  was  some- 
thing pj-etty   interesting    there;    but    Will    is 
always  giving  me   to   understand  that   he   has 
something  remarkable  in  his  pockets,  so  I  did  n't 
feel   much  excited.      At   recess    he   gave   me 
another  wink  and  a  pinch,   and  beckoned  me 
around  into  Martin's  shed. 

Tommy  Taylor,  who  had  seen  the  wink,  tagged 
on,  grinning  expectantly  ;  but  Will,  with  half  a 
stick  of  black  licorice,  bribed  Tom  to  go  back. 
Then  he  drew  from  his  pocket  and  shook  before 
me  a  false  moustache  and  pair  of  whiskers  ! 

"Don't  be  scared,"  said  he.  "Aren't  they 
bully?" 


126  WE  BOTS. 

"  Horrible  !  "  cried  I.  "  Where  did  3^011  get 
them?" 

"  Found  'em  this  mornino^  under  a  httle  brid2:e 
on  the  road  towards  Graceville.  Zip  chased  a 
chipmunk  out  there,  and  I  was  trying  to  help 
him  find  it.  Won't  we  have  some  fun  with  these 
and  the  old  clothes  in  your  Grandmother  Brown's 
garr(;t  ?  " 

"  I  w^ould  n't  touch  the  things  for  a  dollar." 

"  They  're  clean,"  said  he,  showing  me  the 
wrong  side,  — as  if  that  was  the  reason  why  I 
was  afraid  of  them  ! 

All  the  afternoon  he  kept  winking  and  tapping 
his  pocket,  and  once  he  spread  his  treasures  on 
his  atlas  under  the  desk,  and  was  stroking  them 
when  the  master  spoke  to  him.  He  came  very 
near  being  caught.  He  didn't  bring  them  to 
school  again,  but  Saturday  afternoon  ho  came 
over  to  our  house  early  and  wanted  me  to 
go  to   Grandma  Brown's  with  him. 

Grandma  Brown  likes  small  hoys,  and  she 
said  we  might  play  with  those  clothes  in  the  gar- 
ret as  much  as  we  wished.  As  soon  as  we  were 
under  the  rafters.  Will  drew  out  his  whiskers. 


WE  MASQUERADE.  127 

"  I  Ve  had  dreadful  times  biding  'em  these  last 
two  days,"  said  he.  "Nobody  knows  until  he 
tries  it  bow  hard  it  is  to  keep  anything  hid. 
First  I  put  them  under  the  sofa  cushion,  and  Zip 
dragged  'em  out ;  then  I  hid  them  behind  a  pile 
of  boxes  in  the  wood-house  chamber,  and  that 
very  day  mother  set  Mrs.  Donovan  to  cleanino- 
that  chamber ;  finally  I  crowded  them  into  an 
oyster-can,  and  hid  the  can  in  one  of  my  old 
rubber  boots." 

"  They  don't  match  your  hair,  nor  eyes,  nor 
anything  about  you,"  said  I,  as  he  tied  them  on. 

"I  don't  care  for  that;  some  folks'  features 
don't  correspond.'^  They  make  me  look  ferocious, 
and  that's  what  I  most  want."  He  looked  in  a 
piece  of  broken  mirror  he  had  taken  from  his 
pocket,  and  seemed  greatly  pleased  with  the 
reflection.  "  Now  for  the  clothes  !  You  're  to  be 
my  wife,  you  know." 

He  put  on  a  "  butternut"  dress  suit  that  had 
been  my  grandfather's.  It  was  a  mile  too  laro-e 
around  for  him. 

"Jerusalem!"  said  he,  "why  didn't  I  eat 
more  dinner  ?     There 's  a  feather  cushion  in  that 


128  wi:  BOYS. 

old  rocking-chair,''  Eob ;  toss  it  over  here  for 
stuffino-." 

Then  he  had  to  have  another  feather  cushion 
on  behind,  and  rags  tucked  in  here  and  there  to 
fill  out,  the  swallow-tails  of  his  coat  pinned  up  ; 
and  after  we  'd  done- our  best  he  did  n't  look  very 
well  proportioned.  He  tied  a  scarf  over  his 
brown  hair,  and  put  a  tall  gray  hat  on  top. 

I  dressed  up  gayly,  —  in  red  and  blue  and 
green.  I  had  a  green  silk  bonnet  with  a  full 
ruche  and  pink  roses  in  the  inside.  Will  said 
that  in  the  face  I  had  a  kind  of  pollywog 
appearance,  neither  boy  nor  woman,  and  that  I 
ought  to  have  a  veil ;  so  we  found  a  lace  veil , 
which  he  doubled  and  pinned  over  my  face. 

He  gave  me  his  arm,  and  we  started  down- 
stairs, but  I  tripped  on  my  long  skirt,  and  we 
went  to  the  bottom  pell-mell.  I  never  hear 
gi'own  people  say  anything  about  crazy -bones, 
and  I  don't  know  but  they  '"outgrow"  them,  but 
crazy-bones  make  up  a  large  part  of  a  boy.  I 
hit  all  of  mine,  and  I  jammed  my  bonnet  the 
worst  way.  Will's  cushions  broke  his  fall,  and 
he  hopped  up  and  began  putting  me  to  rights, 


Wi:  MASQUERADE.  129 

and  said  I  "wasn't  hurt  any,"  which  is  the  way- 
he  usually  consoles  me. 

Grandma  heard  the  racket,  came  up,  and  for- 
bade our  going  on  to  the  street,  but  we  finally 
coaxed  her  to  let  us  go  where  Home  and 
Charlie  could  see  us. 

"Now,"  said  Will,  as  we  went  out,  "I  shall 
walk  fast  and  you  must  come  stramming  after, 
and  if  you  could  take  your  dress  up  on  your 
heels  you  would  appear  more  natural." 

I  told  him  I  could  n't  walk  without  taking  my 
dress  up  on  my  heels. 

We  first  went  to  the  tin-shop.  A  pedler's 
cart  was  before  the  door,  and  Home  was  help- 
ing the  pedler  load  up.  He  paid  no  attention 
to  us. 

"  Warty,  ivaTcy,  sorso  hloo,  sine  teniis  pro  and 
jprul"  said  Will,  stepping  up  to  him. 

"I  don't  care, —  don't  want  to  hear  your  jab- 
ber this  morning,  anyway,"  said  he. 

Will  began  again. 

"I    know  all  about  it,"  interrupted    Home, 
motioning  us  off  with  one  hand  while  he  shoved 
a  lot  of  baking  tins  into  the  cart  with  the  other. 
9 


130  WE  BOYS. 

Will  opened  his  mouth  and  put  his  finger 
into  it. 

"Yes,  I  see,"  said  Home.  '^  Tremendous 
cavity  there,  but  I've  nothing  with  which  to 
fill  it." 

Just  then  Tommy  Taylor  came  running  across 
to  where  we  were.  He  thrust  his  hands  in  his 
pantaloons  pockets,  and  stood  looking  up  at  us 
so  interested  and  innocent-like  that  I  turned  my 
head  to  keep  from  laughing. 

"He's  short  for  his  bigness,  ain't  he,  Home?" 
said  Tommy,  nodding  towards  Will. 

Will  turned  towards  Tommy  and  held  out  his 
hand.     "Un  sou  rear  vox  pojpuli"  said  he. 

Tommy  kicked  at  him. 

"  Un  miscreant  castigata  loir  ivurza  !  Ma  shrink 
drat  shring  wui^tiim!''  shrieked  Will,  shaking 
his  fists  and  glaring  down  at  Tommy. 

Tommy  shrank  back  against  the  wall  winking 
hard  and  looking  scared. 

''  Come  now,  old  fellow,"  said  Homer,  bran- 
dishing a  new  quart  dipper  over  Will's  head, 
'■  take  yourself  out  of  the  way,  or  I  'II  set  the 
dog  on  3'ou." 


WE  MASQUERADE.  131 

Homer's  dog  is  a  fierce  one,  and  Will  moved 
on,  turning  around  now  and  then  to  shake  his 
fists,  and  call  out  something  dreadful  to  the 
boys.  I  trotted  after,  tripping  on  my  long 
skirts  as  I  went.  Without  thinking  it  was 
wrong,  I  j)roposed  that  w^e  should  call  at  some 
of  the  houses  and  ask  for  somethins:  to  eat. 
Will  approved,  and  we  rang  the  bell  of  the 
nearest  one.  It  w^as  Miss  Wheeler's,  the  dress- 
maker's. 

"  Please  give  me  a  bite,  ma'am,"  said  he,  when 
she  opened  the  door. 

"No,  indeed,"  said  she ;  "you  're  just  as  well 
able  to  work  and  earn  your  living  as  I  am." 
She  slammed  the  door  in  our  faces,  and  turned 
the  key  in  the  lock. 

"There's  that  pie,  Bridget;  you  might  bring 
them  that,"  said  the  mistress  of  the  second  house. 

The  pie  looked  as  if  it  had  been  cut  a  long 
time.  Will  thanked  her,  and  tried  to  take  out 
a  piece.  The  bottom  crust  was  raw  and  stuck 
to  the  plate ;  the  apple  was  n't  cooked,  and 
looked  as  if  sweetened  with  brown  sugar. 

"I  think  I  won't  take  any  just  now,"  said 


132  WE  BOYS. 

Will,  handing  it  back.  "I  don't  feel  as  hungry 
as  I  did ;  and  my  wife,  she  's  delicate,  she  can't 
eat  that  kind  of  pie." 

"Mabbc  you'd  be  afther  havin'  me  bring  on 
the  cake  and  parserves,"  said  Bridget,  grimly. 

Will  said  he  thanked  her,  he  did  n't  care  for 
the  cake  and  preserve,  and  we  left. 

"  Just  come  here  and  look  at  him,  Bridget," 
called  the  mistress  as  we  turned  down  the  walk. 
"His  whiskers  are  too  black  for  his  hair,  and 
he 's  too  short  for  his  whiskers.  I  believe  he  's 
an  impostor ! " 

"  And  howdy  murrther  !  the  woman 's  got  on 
man's  boots.  It's  no  woman  at  all,  at  all!" 
shrieked  Bridget. 

We  two  boys  travelled  out  of  that  yard  lively. 
Sheriff  Kitely  lives  opposite,  and  he  was  just 

going  uito  his  gate.     "  By !  "  said  he,  as  he 

saw  us,  "  if  there  is  n't !  " 

We  cut  around  the  corner.  "  Don't  let  's 
make  any  more  calls,"  said  I,  as  soon  as  we  dared 
stop  for  breath. 

"Do  for  pity's  sake  draw  that  scarf  up  over 
my  hair,  and   let  my  coat-tails  down  a  little. 


WS  MASQUERADE.  133 

Maybe  they  '11  make  me  look  taller,"  said 
Will. 

We  rearrano-ed  'ourselves  behind  Deacon 
Claj)p's  barn,  and  as  soon  as  we  dared,  turned 
back  to  look  up  the  boys.  On  High  Street  we 
met  Rose  Payson  and  Nellie  Eoyce. 

"  Please  give  me  a  penny  to  buy  medicine  for 
my  wife.  I'm  afraid  the  poor  dear  has  con- 
sumption,"  said  Will,  holding  out  his  hand  to 
Eose. 

"  I  sh'd  think  she  'd  go  to  the  hospital,  then," 
said  Rose,  turning  on  one  foot  and  looking  me 
over. 

"  We  can't  bear  to  be  separated ;  either  of  us 
without  the  other  would  pine  away,  wither  up 
and  die,"  sighed  Will. 

"  Dear  me  !  "  said  Nellie,  diving  one  hand  into 
her' pocket.  "I'm  sorry  for  her.  I  thought  I 
had  a  penny,  but  I  can't  find  it.  I  read  in  an 
almanac  the  other  day  about  a  medicine  that 
would  cure  consumption.  If  you  only  had  a 
dollar  you  could  get  that." 

I  had  a  coughing  spasm. 

"Lay  your  he;id   on   my  shoulder.     There, 


134  WE  BOYS. 

dear,"  said  Will,  stepping  up,  and  putting  his 
arm  around  me.  "This  exertion  is  too  much 
for  her,  you  see,  Miss." 

"  Yf  hat  a  looking  bonnet !  "  said  Kose  to  Nel- 
lie, as  we  moved  off. 

"  Poor  thing  !  I  presume  she  feels  so  badly 
she  don't  care  how  she  looks,"  said  Nellie. 

"It's  wicked  to  deceive  them  so.  Will,"  said 
I,  bobbing  my  head  up  from  his  shoulder. 

"Keep  quiet !  "  replied  he,  rapping  me  down 
again.     "Here's  Doctor  Hammond's." 

Ed  was  sitting  with  his  head  out  at  an  open 
front  window,  and  Gustus  Hillman  was  in  the 
yard  talking  with  him. 

"Who  the  Dutch  comes  here?  "  said  he,  as  he 
saw  us. 

Will  began  his  jabber,  but  raising  his  arm, 
he  caught  the  buttons  on  his  sleeve  in  his  long 
beard  and  twitched  it  to  one  side. 

"Will  Bradley,"  cried  Gustus,  starting  for- 
ward, "is  that  you?" 

"I'll  bot  'tis  n't,"  said  Will.  And  with  that 
we  both  turned  and  ran.  I  tripped  on  my  skirts 
and  fell  full  length.     Ed  and  Gustus  picked  me 


WE  MASQUERADE.  135 

up,  and  Will  came  back  to  inquire  if  "  I  'd  put 
my  spine  out  of  joint." 

Ed  hustled  us  up  into  his  room,  as  if  he  was 
afraid  of  being  seen  in  the  street  with  us,  and 
made  us  tell  our  adventures.  He  and  Gustus 
had  lots  of  fun  over  us,  but  said  we  were  out 
under  false  pretences  and  were  in  bad  business, 
an  J  we  had  better  see  Charlie  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible and  go  home. 

I  said  that  if  it  was  a  bad  business,  I  would  n't 
take  another  step  in  it.  But  they  all  said  we 
must  go  and  see  Charlie  ;  we  mustn't  back  out 
now.  lie  was  working  for  Mr.  Spooner,  and 
we  could  go  that  way  home. 

As  we  left  the  house,  I  had  a  glimpse  of 
Sheriff  Kitely  at  a  window  opposite. 


136  WE  BOYS. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

RESULTS  OF  OUR  MASQUERADE. 

'E  came  upon  Charlie  at  the  foot  of  Town 
Hall  Hill.     He  had  just  started  up  the 
hill  with  his  wheelbarrow. 

"Here,  bub,"  began  Will,  "won't  you  be  kind 
enough  to  roll  my  wife  up  this  hill  ?  She 's 
delicate,  and  has  just  had  a  prostrate  turn." 

"Roll  your  wife  up  this  hill?  Of  course  I 
shan't,"  said  Charlie. 

"Well,  she's  got  to  go  up  in  some  way,  and 
you  see  how  feeble  she  is,"  said  Will,  as  I  lopped 
on  his  shoulder. 

"  I  can't  help  that.  'T  is  n't  my  business  to 
carry  sick  stragglers  around  the  country,"  re- 
plied CharUe,  preparing  to  move  on. 

"  Have  n't  you  any  heart,  any  bowels  of  com- 
passion ?  "  asked  Will. 

"Have  mercy,  sir,  have  mercy!"  groaned  I, 
from  behind  my  veil. 


RESULTS  OF  OUR  MASQUERADE.  137 

"  There  !  you  hear  her  *  helpless  shriek  for 
mercy,'"  said  Will. 

Charlie  stopped  and  looked  at  us.  ""VYTiere 
are  you  going,  anyway  ?  " 

"  We  're  travelling  from  Boston  to  Albany  for 
rest  and  refreshment.  We  've  been  unfortunate, 
and  have  nothing  with  which  to  hire  a  carria2:e." 

**  There,  dear,  you  must  sit  down,"  said  Will, 
tumbling  me  into  the  wheelbarrow.  "This 
woman  has  got  to  go  up  this  hill,  — there 's  no 
other  way  about  it,  bub ;  and  either  you  or  I 
must  wheel  her  up." 

"I  tell  you  I  shan't  do  any  such  thing,"  said 
Charhe,  growing  red  in  the  face. 

"Then  I  must  do  it  myself,"  said  Will, 
grasping  the  handles  and  pushing  the  wheel- 
barrow ahead. 

Charlie  caught  him  by  the  swallow-tails.  "  See 
here.  Mister,"  said  he,  "that  wheelbarrow  be- 
longs to  me,  and  bears  my  sister's  name,  and 
I  'm  not  going  to  have  you  two  creatures  around . 
with  it.  If  you  don't  leave  in  just  two  seconds 
I  '11  scream  "Thieves  ! "  and  "Bloody  Murder  !  " 

Will's    wife    scratched    out   of    that   wheel- 


138  WE  BOYS. 

barrow  as  quickly  as  she  had  tiiml:)le(i  in, 
Charlie  trundled  off  victorious,  and  Will  and 
I  plodded  on. 

We  started  home,  but  as  we  passed  Judge 
Davis's,  the  judge,  who  is  one  of  the  overseers 
of  the  poor,  was  in  his  front  door,  reading  a 
newspaper,  and  Will  said  it  would  be  a  good 
joke  to  get  a  pass  to  the  almshouse.  Before  I 
could  speak  he  was  inside  the  gate. 

"  Welch  ami  striifberim  lorecker  almshouse?" 
said  he. 

Judge  Davis  glanced  up  at  us,  and  just  then 
Bije  Whittlesey,  who  was  working  for  him, 
came  up  for  orders. 

"Here,  Bijah,"  said  he,  "take  these  vagrants 
to  the  lock-up,  and  tell  Kitely  to  keep  them 
shut  up  over  the  Sabbath." 

We  didn't  dare  say  a  word,  but  followed  Bije 
from  the  yard. 

"I  think,  after  all,  that  we  won't  go  to  the  alms- 
house. It 's  early  yet,  and  we  can  travel  quite 
a  distance  before  night,"  said  \yill,  as  soon  as 
we  were  out  of  the  judge's  hearing. 

"  Wa-al,  railly,  you  Ve  lamed  the  language  of 


RESULTS  OF  OUR  MASQUERADE.  139 

the  country 'mazing  quick,"  said  Bije.  "It  all 
came  to  you  when  you  heard  the  word  '  lock- 
up,'didn't  it?" 

"  Come  this  way,  wifey,"  said  Will,  trying  to 
draw  me  into  a  side  street. 

"No,  you  don't  go  that  way;  you  don't  play 
any  of  youf  little  games  on  me,"  said  Bije, 
springing  in  between  us,  and  drawing  our  arms 
throu2:h  his. 

"  Is  n't  this  a  free  country  ? "  demanded  Will, 
trying  to  pull  away. 

"No,  'tis  n't;  it's  under  law  and  officers," 
said  Bije,  holding  us  fast,  and  marching  us  along 
like  a  couple  of  criminals. 

"  You  've  no  business  to  pick  a  man  up  from 
the  street  and  shut  him  into  the  lock-up,"  said 
Will,  hanging  back. 

"I  didn't  pick  you  up  from  the  street;  and 
business  or  no  business.  Judge  Davis's  orders 
are  to  lock  you  up.  So  come  along,"  said  Bije, 
giving  Will  a  twitch  forward. 

"Well,  Mr.  Whittlesey,"  said  Will,  cheer- 
fully, "what  if  we're  not  vagrants?  What  if 
we  're  only  dressed  up  to  fool  folks  ?  " 


140  WE  BOYS. 

"  Then  I  sh'd  say  you  deserved  to  be  put  in 
the  lock-up  more  than  's  ef  you  were  vagrants," 
said  Bije. 

"I  can  Will  Bradley,  and  I  won't  go  another 
step  towards  that  old  lock-up,"  said  Will,  strip- 
ping oif  his  whiskers  and  moustache,  and  bra- 
cing himself  in  the  road. 

"O  ^Ir.  Whittlesey,"  said  I,  tearing  off  my 
veil,  and  looking  up  to  him  with  the  full  ruche 
and  piuk  roses  around  my  face,  "  O  Mr.  Whit- 
tlesey, do  let  us  off!  " 

"I  swaow,  if  this  'ere  ain't  little  Bob  !  " 

Bije's  face  broke  into  a  broad  grin. 

"You  will  let  us  off,  Mr  Whittlesey?  We 
did  n't  mean  any  harm  ;  we  only  did  it  for  fun," 
said  I. 

"I  don't  s'pose  you  did,  Bob;  but  this  'ere 
Bradley  boy  is  a  reg'lar  little  limb,"  said  Bije, 
giving  \A"ill  a  shake  that  tipped  his  tall  hat  into 
the  sand  and  settled  his  feather  cushions  a  good 
deal. 

"  Let  me  alone  !  "  growled  Will.  "  I  want  to  go 
home,  and  I  '11  never  be  caught  in  such  a  scrape 
asain." 


RESULTS  OF  OUR  MASQUERADE.  141 

"  That 's  ju-t  what  you  promised  me  when  you 
ran  away  with  the  capen's  team,"  said  Bijah, 
gripping  tightly. 

"Oh,  please  let  him  off,  Mr.  Whittlesey  !  He 
didnt  mean  anything  wrong.  You  helped  us 
before,  do  please  help  us  now." 

"I  don't  know  's  'cording  to  law  I  can,  if  I 
wanted  to  ever  so  bad,  Bob.  The  judge  has 
sentenced  you  to  the  lock-up,  and  I  s'pose  it 's 
my  dooty  to  see  that  sentence  executed  unless 
he  reverses  the  decision.  I  s'pose  that  in  the 
eyes  of  the  law  I  'm  'sponsible  for  you." 

"Pshaw  !  "  said  Will. 

"  You  may  pshaw  out  o'  t'  other  end  of  your 
mouth  before  you  're  through  with  it,"  said  Bije, 
twitching  Will  up  again.  "  I  ain't  a-going  to  lay 
myself  liable  by  letting  you  off.  If  little  Bob  's 
a  mind  to  take  a  run  at  my  back,  why,  I  shan't 
leave  3^ou  to  run  after  him." 

"  I  shan't  leave  Will,  but  I  '11  run  back  and 
ask  Judge  Davis  to  'reverse  his  decision,'" 
said  I. 

"Here's  Lawyer  Royce  in  his  yard.  I'm 
going  to  call  to  him,"  said  Will. 


142  WE  BOYS. 

Mr.  Eoyce  had  seen  us,  and  came  down  to  tbo 
fixate  without  being  called.  I  turned  my  face, 
surrounded  by  its  full  ruche  and  pink  roses, 
towards  him. 

"  The  saints  preserve  us !  What  have  we 
here?"  cried  he. 

"It's  only  I,"  replied  I,  humbly. 

"  So  't  is ;  and  this  prodigy  is  my  youthful 
friend,  Bradley,  is  it?" 

"Yes,  it  is,"  said  Will,  brightening  up. 
"  We  're  in  trouble  again." 

"  I  should  think  likely  you  might  be,"  said 
Mr.  Eoyce,  punching  into  the  feather  cushions. 
"  This  is  the  most  singular  anatomy  1  ever 
met." 

"Come  here,  dear,  and  take  a  second  look  at 
■"jour  poor  consumptive  and  her  husband,"  called 
he  to  Nellie,  who  was  peeping  out  from  behind 
the  trees. 

I  was  so  mortified  I  blushed  to  the  roots  of 
my  hair,  and  looked  on  the  ground. 

"Well,  what  are  we  going  to  do?"  asked 
Will,  crossly. 

"Do?     I  should  think  you'd  done  it  already. 


RESULTS  OF  OUR  MASQUERADE.  143 

I  should  advise  you  to  make  trapks  for  home 
now,  and  take  off  this  toggery." 

Bije's  countenance  fell.  "Judge  Davis  or- 
dered me  to  take  um  to  the  lock-up." 

"  But  he  supposed  we  were  vagrants ;  he  'd 
no  idea  of  shutting  us  up,"  said  Will,  jerking 
away,  and  being  again  jerked  up  by  Bije. 

"  You  're  a  faithful  fellow,  Bije  ;  but  you  'd 
better  let  the  boys  off  this  time." 

"I  shan't  be  liable  to  a  fine  nor  nothjn', 
shall  I?"  asked  Bije,  letting  go  his  hold  on  ^Yill 
a  trifle. 

"Xot  a  bit  of  it.  You've  done  your  duty, 
and  I  give  you  my  word  as  a  legah  adviser  that 
the  law  shan't  touch  you." 

"Wa-al,  just  as  you  say,"  said  Bije.  "But  I 
want  to  say  to  you,  William  Bradley,  that  it's 
agin  all  law  and  order  for  you  to  be  cutting 
around  the  streets  deceiviu'  folks  in  this  way. 
And  here 's  little  Bob,  who  sets  his  eyes  by  you, 
—  yer  alius  gettin'  him  inter  scrapes,  and  makin' 
him  no  eend  o'  trouble.  Ycr  ought  to  be  ashamed 
o'  yersclf." 

"  Go  home  now,  boys,  and  don't  you  ever  do 
it  again,"  said  Mr.  Royce. 


144:  WE  BOYS. 

We  started  off.  ]\Iy  dress-skirt  was  torn 
nearly  off  the  waist,  and  my  shawl  had  unpinned. 
Will's  stuffing  was  badly  out  of  place,  and  some 
of  it  had  come  out  altogether,  so  that  he  had  to 
carry  it  in  his  arms.  I  had  lost  my  veil,  and 
Will's  whiskers  were  in  his  pocket,  so  that  our 
faces  were  exposed,  and  every  one  v^ho  met  us 
knew  us. 

A  shower  was  coming  up,  and  the  wind  blew 
hard.  It  had  been  so  hot,  I  had  loosened  the 
strings  of  my  bonnet,  and  all  at  once  there  came 
a  srust  and  whisked  it  off.  It  went  bobbing 
alons:  through  the  air,  and  skimming  over  the 
pavement,  and  Will  and  I  chased  it.  Will  was 
ahead,  and  all  at  once  he  disappeared,  and  sunk 
beneath  the  pavement.  I  was  mider  too  much 
headway  to  stop,  and  I,  too,  dropped,  I  should 
say  about  five  hundred  feet.  I  landed  in  the 
dark,  and  on  something  soft  and  squirming. 

"  Jerusalem  ! "  exclaimed  the  soft  pile  under 
me. 

"  Where  are  we  ?  "  cried  I. 

"  We  've  gone  through  and  come  out  in  China. 
Don't  you  smell  tea?  "  said  Will. 


RESULTS  OF  OUR  MASqUERADE.  145 

We  had  fallen  into  a  cellar  which  was  bein"- 
deepened,  and  which  had  an  iron  trap-door 
opening  on  to  the  sidewalk  above.  Will  had 
cut  his  leg  on  the  bit  of  broken  mirror  in  his 
pocket,  and  while  we  were  binding  np  the  wound 
some  one  came  along  on  the  outside  and  shut 
down  the  door.  That  didn't  frighten  us  be- 
cause we  knew  there  were  stairs  up  into  the 
store  above,  and,  though  the  door  at  the  head  of 
the  stairs  might  be  locked,  we  could  rouse  some 
one  who  wc.uld  let  us  out.  But  it  began  to  rain 
and  Will  said  we  might  as  well  remain  where  we 
were  until  after  the  shower. 

Falling  into  the  soft  earth,  we  had  soiled  our 
faces  and  clothes  wretchedly,  and  we  decided 
that  it  would  be  too  mortifying  to  go  up  throuo-h 
the  store.  The  top  of  the  cellar  was  a  little 
above  the  sidewalk,  and  there  were  two  small 
windows  opening  on  the  inside,  through  one  of 
which  Will  thought  we  could  crawl  out. 

We  dragged  an  empty  hogshead  up  under  the 

window.     Will  clambered  up  on  to  the  head, 

and  as  soon  as  the  coast  outside  was  clear,  he 

swung  back  the  window  and  thrust  himself  part 

10 


14G  WE  BOYS. 

Avay  through,  —  part  way,  because  when  he  got 
as  far  as  the  cushions,  he  was  stuck,  and  could  n't 
move  either  way.  He  wriggled  his  head  and 
shoulders  over  the  sidewalk,  and  wriggled  his 
heels  over  the  hogshead  :  but  it  was  no  go. 

"Confound  the  feathers/"  said  he;  "Bob, 
you  just  catch  hold  of  that  back  cushion  and 
pull/  " 

I  was  just  behind  him  on  the  hogshead,  and  I 
caught  and  pulled  until  all  at  once  the  cushion 
gave  way,  and  I  went  over  backwards  a  good 
ways  towards  China  again. 

"Thieves,  t/neves/"  squeaked  a  voice  coming 
down  the  street,  a  voice  I  should  have  known 
to  be  Capt.  Parker's  if  I  'd  landed  in  Pekin. 

"  No,  't  is  n't  thieves,  either.  Hush  up  !  "  I 
heard  Will  say  from  outside. 

But  the  people  both  sides  the  street  had  heard, 
and  they  all  came  out.  I  was  up  on  the  hogs- 
head, ready  to  follow  Will  out,  but  the  head 
gave  way,  and  I  went  down  inside ;  and  that 
hogshead  had  held  molasses. 

"  This  is  a  female  !  "  said  a  man  who  had  his 
head  in  at  the  window  lookinaj  after  me. 


RESULTS  OF  OUR  MASQUERADE.  147 

"Open  the  door  and  let  her  out,"  said  the 
people  on  the -walk. 

That  building  is  n't  for  from  the  bank,  and  the 
first  persons  I  saw  as  I  came  out  were  my 
ftither  and  that  dignified  bank  president.  My 
father  had  the  funniest  wrinkles  around  his- 
mouth. 

"Have  you  had' a  good  time,  Eob?"  said  he. 

"No;  I  haven't,"  said  I;  "I  Ve  had  a  most 
miserable  time." 

"  I  'm  glad  of  it,"  said  he  ;  and  he  never  said 
another  word  to  me  about  the  scrape,  —  not 
from  that  tim.e  to  this.  I  more  clearly  under- 
stand what  my  father  means  by  saying  every 
wrong  act  brings  its  own  penalty ;  but  when  a 
fellow  don't  know  beforehand  that  it  is  a  wrono- 
act,  it  seems  to  come  pretty  hard  on  him. 

Will  and  I  ran  for  home  as  fast  as  we  could 
go,  everybody  laughing  at  us.  Homer  said 
Will  left  a  stream  of  feathers  and  I  a  trail  of 
molasses  all  the  way.  Mrs.  Donovan  found  my 
green  silk  bonnet,  and  she  wears  it  now  when 
she  goes   out   washiug.     I've   never  felt   like 


claiming  it. 


148  WE  BOYS. 

The  next  Moncliiy  afternoon,  —  a  warm, 
droning  kind  of  an  afternoon,  when  the  school 
seemed  to  be  going  to  sleep,  and  \V''ill  was  get- 
ting read}^  to  throw  a  torpodo  on  Ike  Tucker's 
desk,  —  there  came  a  tremendous  rap  at  the 
door,  and  when  the  master  opened  it  there  stood 
Sheriff  Kitely. 

"  William  Bradley,  if  you  please,  sir,"  said  he. 

The  room  swam  and  turned  dai'k  before  me. 
Will  was  drawing  a  picture  of  Capt.  Parker, 
and  he  gave  the  finishing  touch  to  the  nose  even 
after  that  call.  Then,  when  he  Avas  half  across 
the  school-room,  he  came  back  after  two  ""olden- 
sweet  apples  he  had  left  in  his  desk. 

He  went  away  with  the  sheriff ;  and  my  legs 
trembled  so  all  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  I 
could  n't  study,  and  went  down  three  in  spell- 
ing. 

After  school,  Gustus  Ilillman  said  ]Mr.  Royce 
wanted  to  question  Will  about  those  old  whisk- 
ers. He  said  they  were  the  disguise  of  the 
Graceville  bank  robbers,  and  that  Will's  and 
my  having  them  in  our  possession  had  made  a 
great  deal  of  talk.     Some  people  thought  per- 


RESULTS  OF  OUR  MASQUERADE.  149 

haps  my  father  had  been  an  accomplice  of  the 
robbers. 

"Being  in  a  bank,  he  would  know  all  about 
the  vaults  and  the  locks,"  tliey  said;  and  Capt. 
Parker  said,  "  'T  was  these  folks  the  world 
thought  the  most  of,  and  that  carried  their 
heads  highest,  that  was  at  the  bottom  of  the 
most  iniquity." 

Tommy  asked  me  if  I  did  n't  s'pose  if  they 
found  out  't  was  so,  they  'd  hang  my  father,  and 
said  he  should  go  to  see  it  if  they  did.  Gustus 
said,  "Hush  up  !  "  so  I  did  n't  know  but  Gustus 
thought  there  was  danger  of  it. 

"We  boys  went  down  to  Mr.  Royce's  office, 
and  he  and  the  sheriff  and  Will  were  just  start- 
ing for  the  bridge  where  Will  found  the  dis- 
guise. Homer,  Tom,  and  I,  and  Homer's  dog 
went  too. 

Will  kept  telling  Sheriff  Kitely  what  his 
theory  of  the  robbery  was,  and  I  slipped  around 
and  asked  Mr.  Royce  if  anybody  really  thought 
my  father  was  an  accomplice.  "  Because,"  said 
I,  "if  they'll  allow  me  to  be  a  witness,  I  can 
testify  he  was  n't !  " 


150  WE  BOYS. 

"Your  father,  Rob!"  said  Mr.  Royce.  "I 
should  sooner  think  perhaps  it  might  be  a  bold 
and  savage  man  like  yourself." 

In  the  bushes  near  the  bridge  we  found  a 
satchel,  fragments  of  papers,  and  some  ginger- 
bread and  cheese.  Tommy  ate  the  cheese,  and 
then  soaked  the  gingerbread  in  the  brook  and 
ate  that.  Home  would  n't  let  him  feed  any  of 
it  to  the  dog  for  fear  it  was  poisoned. 

Mr.  Royce  thought  the  papers  would  enable 
him  to  identify  the  burglars,  and  I  heard  my 
father  say  they  are  on  the  track  of  them  now. 

Aunt  Lovisa  says  Will  will  yet  get  into  a 
scrape  that  he  won't  get  out  of  so  easily :  she 
should  think  Mr.  Bradley  would  expect  that  l)oy 
would  ruin  him  ;  and  she  does  think  my  father 
and  mother  are  just  crazy  to  let  me  associate 
with  hitn.  Father  only  smiles,  and  mother  says 
she  thinks  she  "understands  both  "Will  and 
Robbie."  I  notice  that  when  mother  speaks  in 
that  way,  Aunt  Lovisa  don't  say  much,  though 
she  tosses  her  head  a  sjood  deal. 


FUBTUER  EXPLOITS.  151 


CHAPTER   XII. 

FURTHER    EXPLOITS. 

"TXTEDNESDAY  moruing  some  one  woke  me 
up  shouting  under  my  chamber  window  : 

"Eob,  Eob,  they  Ve  got  'em  !  " 

I  went  to  the  window  in  my  night-gown, 
and  Will  was  there  terribly  excited,  with  his 
cap  on  the  back  side  of  his  head. 

"Put  on  your  pantaloons  ;  don't  stop  for  your 
jacket!"  said  he.  "They'll  have  'em  shut  up 
in  ae  lock-up  before  w^e  get  there  !  Kitely  has 
only  just  come.  They'd  got  most  to  Canada 
before  he  caught  them." 

Then  I  knew  he  meant  the  burglars.  I  did  n't 
stop  to  wash  or  comb  my  hair.  We  had  n't  had 
brealifast,  but  Aunt  Lovisa  wasn't  around,  and 
mother  gave  me  five  buttered  griddle-cakes  to 
take  in  my  hand. 

Judge  Davis  had  kept  the  lock-up  key  while 
Mr.  Kitely- was  gone,  so  they  had  to  send  to  the 


152  WE  BOYS.  ^ 

Judge's  after  it,  and  the  burglars  were  on  that 
wooden  bench  on  the  hotel  piazza.  Homer  and 
Charlie  and  Tommy  had  g>-t  there,  and  Homer's 
dog ;  and  Tommy  has  got  a  pup,  and  that  was 
there  too. 

One  of  the  men  was  very  handsome ;  he  had 
the  reddest  whiskers  I  ever  saw.  The  other  had 
a  very  red  face  and  was  quite  good-looking. 
They  had  both  tried  to  get  away,  and  both  had 
on  fetters ;  and  the  handsome  one  wore  hand- 
cuiFs. 

It  was  a  very  chilly  morning,  and  some  one 
called  to  Mr.  Kitely  to  come  into  the  bar-room 
and  "have  a  cup  of  coffee."  Almost  all  the 
men  went  into  the  bar-room  after  coffee  and  left 
us  boys  to  guard  the  robbers.  I  didn't  care  to 
go  very  near,  and  Charlie  is  too  polite,  so  we 
stood  back  a  little ;  but  Will  is  n't  a  very  polite 
boy ;  he  did  n't  wait  for  any  introduction,  but 
just  stepped  up  and  went  to  talking.  Says  he 
confidentially,  — 

*'  Could  you  keep  any  of  the  mone}^  away 
from  Kitely?"  Had  n't  I  known  Will  I  should 
have  thought  he  rather  hoped  tliey  had. 


FURTHER  EXPLOITS.  153 

They  did  n't  answer.  - 

"You  did  n"t  expect  they  'd  get  you,  did  ycu  ?  " 

"Ain't  you  sorry  you  did  it,  now?"  asked 
Tommy,  putting  his  nose  right  up  in  the  red- 
fa(;ed  man's  face. 

"I  bite,"  said  the  red-faced  man. 

Tom  darted  back  at  that,  and  pitched  off  the 
piazza  backward  into  a  flower-bed. 

Both  the  burglars  laughed,  and  their  laugh 
sounded  just  as  natural,  just  as  any  man's  would. 

Charlie  and  I  stepped  up  a  little  nearer. 

Will  was  down  on  his  knees  examinini^  the 
fetters  on  the  red-faced  man's  ankles, 

"This  must  be  a  darn  mean  county  if  the 
sheriff  can't  show  a  handsomer  set  of  anklets 
than  those,"  said  the  man. 

"xUl  out  of  style,  are  they?  "  asked  Home. 

"  Kitely  never  did  keep  up  w-ith  the  fashions," 
said  Will,  as  if  he  was  a  good  deal  mortified. 
"  How  do  they  go  on  and  off,  though  ?  " 

"  Why,"  said  the  man,  "  they  're  just  the  sim- 
plest thing.  The  sheriff  has  the  key  ;  but  you 
see  that  little  hole.  You  might  pr}'  that  little 
hasp  back  with  almost  anything." 


154  WE  BOYS. 

"  That 's  so,"  said  Will.  "  I  wish  I  had  some- 
thing to  try  it." 

"Well,"  said  the  man,  "you  just  come  here 
and  put  your  finger  in  my  upper  vest-pocket ; 
you  '11  find  a  little  narrow  steel  bar  that  I 
believe  would  open  that," 

Will  found'  the  little  bar,  and  we  boys  came 
up  and  sat  down  on  the  piazza  floor  around  the 
man's  feet,  to  see  if  the  hasp  could  be  pried 
back.  The  man  told  him  how,  and  after  a  lit- 
tle he  pushed  just  right  and  the  lock  slipped 
back,  '^^'ill  knew  too  much  to  take  off  the  fet- 
ters :  he  just  wanted  to  see  if  you  could  <  pen 
them  without  the  key ;  but  the  minute  that 
burglar  saw  the  bar  v/orkccl,  he  just  sprang  oflT 
the  bench,  hitting  some  of  us  on  the  head  with 
his  boot-hccls,  and  before  we  had  the  least 
notion  what  was  going  on,  he  was  off  the 
piazza. 

Will  clutched  at  his  coat,  but  did  n't  get  it. 
We  shouted,  "Stop  thief,  stop  thief!"  and  ran 
after  him,  shouting,  "Stop,  stop!"  but  he 
would  n't. 

The  doss  barked  and  ran :   the  men  comino- 


FURTHER  EXPLOITS.  155 

out  of  the  bar-room  yelled,  "Where  is  he?" 
and  Bijah  Whittlesey,  coming  with  the  lock-up 
key,  stood  in  the  street  with  his  mouth  wide 
open  until  he  shut  it  to  say,  — 

"That  Bradley  boy  is  the  darndest  little 
cuss !  " 

Kitely  sprang  on  his  horse  and  dashed  down 
past  us,  and  we  boys  dashed  after  him,  and  all 
the  men  about  the  hotel  dashed  after  us.  We 
could  see  the  burglar's  brown  coat  far  ahead  of 
us  all. 

Mr.  Kitely  chased  him  nearly  to  the  Grew 
woods,  and  there  he  lost  sight  of  him.  A  part 
of  the  men  went  around  the  woods,  and  a  part 
came  back  with  us  boys  to  lock  up  the  other 
burojlar. 

The  other  burglar  was  gone  !  —  utterly  dis- 
appeared.    It  didn't  seem  possible. 

"Jerusalem  !"  said  Will,  "what's  going  to  be 
done  now  ?  " 

Tommy  went  up  and  put  his  finger  on  a  spot 
on  the  bench,  and  said  he,  — 

"  When  we  left,  he  sot  right  there  !  " 

Home  looked  around  to  see  if  there  was  a 


156  Trz  BOYS. 

bole  anywhere  through  which  he  could  have 
cravTled  under  the  piazza  floor. 

The  men  who  had  come  back  swore  a  good 
deal  at  everybody.  My  mother  doesn't  wish 
me  to  hear  such  language,  and  I  went  with 
Charlie  and  looked  up  a  pear-tree  to  see  if  the 
burglar  had  climbed  up  there. 

The  building  opposite  the  liotel  is  the  school- 
house,  and  the  only  two  women  who  were  up  iu 
the  hotel  had  been  in  the  kitchen,  so  no  one  had 
seen  where  he  went. 

I  was  afraid  to  go  home  alone,  so  Will  went 
with  me.  He  said  he  should  n't  go  to  school 
until  that  burglar  was  found  ;  said  that  since  he 
had  been  the  means  of  letting  him  go,  he  felt 
that  he  ought  to  stay  and  help  hunt  him  up. 

Homer  stayed  out,  and  Tommy  ran  away  at 
recess.  Tlie  greatest  excitement  was  over  the 
last  man.  The  girls  thought  he  must  have  com- 
mitted  suicide,  till  Ike  asked  them  what  they 
supposed  had  become  of  the  remains.  At  recess 
we  all  went  over  and  looked  at  the  bench  where 
he  last  was  seen.     I  sat  down  on  it. 

At  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  noise 


FURTHER  EXPLOITS.  157 

was  heard  in  the  street,  and  a  boy  who  sits  by 
the  window  made  such  motions  that  we  all 
stretched  our  necks,  and  those  of  us  wdio  are 
small  partly  rose  to  look  out. 

"  Order ! "  said  the  master,  and  we  all  sank 
down. 

The  sounds  came  nearer  and  we  all  looked  up 
again. 

''  Order ! "  said  the  master,  and  we  all  sank 
down. 

The  boy  by  the  window  made  most  exciting 
gestures.     Then  said  the  master,  — 

"  The  first  boy  I  see  looking  out  again,  I  shall 
ferule." 

"May  I  be  excused?"  said  Gustus  Hillman. 

"No,  sir." 

"  May  I  g'wout?  "  said  Ike  Tucker. 

"No,  sir." 

"  May  I  step  to  the  door  just  a  minute,  please  ?  " 
said  Charlie  Pay  son. 

"No,  sir;  the  next  boy  that  asks  me  to  go 
out  I  shall  keep  in  at  recess  to-morrow  moru- 
mg." 

"Please,  sir,  they've  got  the  burglar.     Can't 


158  WE   BOYS. 

school  closs  at  ten  minutes  before  four  to- 
night?" said  I. 

"No,  sir.  Let  me  see  you  give  your  atten- 
tion to  your  book." 

Pretty  soon  the  door  opened,  and  lYill, 
Homer,  and  Tommy  all  filed  in.  They  looked 
perfectly  happy,  and  it  made  us  realize  how 
much  we  'd  lost. 

The  Master  called  those  "  three  young  gentle- 
men "  to  his  desk  to  account  for  being  absent, 
and  they  all  said  they  'd  had  permission  from 
their  fathers  and  would  brinor  notes  so  stating; 
to-morrow  morning. 

AVill  asked  to  speak  but  he  could  n't  get  per- 
mission. After  school,  though,  he  perched 
himself  upon  a  desk  and  Home  on  one  opposite, 
while  we  boys  gathered  around,  and  they  told 
us  about  the  capture. 

"  They  found  hinv  in  Mr.  Strong's  barn,  and 
it'll  be  quite  a  feather  in  your  cap,  Cynthia," 
said  Home. 

"They  drove  him  out  of  the  woods,  you 
see,"  said  Will,  "and  they  all  thought  he  went 
in   an   opposite    direction    from  the   barn,   but 


FURTHER  EXPLOITS.  159 

Capt.  Parker  had  a  glimpse  of  him  skirting 
through  the  bushes  in  the  pasture,  and  we  sui° 
rounded  the  barn,  but  while  the  men  went  up 
after  him  he  knocked  a  board  off  the  outside 
and  jumped  down  from  the  side  they  didn't 
expect." 

"They'd  left  no  one  but  us  boys  to  guard 

that  side,  because  they  did  n't  see  how  he  could 

^  get  out  that  way,  and  he  'd  got  off  again  had  n't 

Will  just  grabbed  him  by  the  legs  and   held 

him,"  said  Home. 

We  all  looked  admiringly  at  Will ;  he  seemed 
quite  modest. 

"He  just  pounded  Will  with  his  fists  ;  but  you 
held  like  a  good  one,  didn't  you,  Will?"  said 
Tommy. 

Just  then  the  board  over  the  ventilator  fell 
as  if  it  had  been  accidentally  knocked  down. 

Our  school-room  is  in  the  second  story  of  the 
building,  and  there  's  an  opening  into  the  attic, 
with  something  like  a  trap-door  which  we  can 
pull  up  or  lower  by  a  rope. 

"I  'd  like  to  know  what  made  that  fall,"  said 
Ike. 


160  WE  BOYS. 

He  drew  it  up  again,  and  it  came  up  easily  as 
usual,  and  we  concluded  the  children  in  going 
from  the  lower  school-room  had  jarred  it  down. 

We  stopped  to  play  ball  on  the  green,  and 
"Will  threw  the  ball  so  that  it  went  through  the 
attic  window.  There  are  two  windows  exactly 
facing  each  other  in  that  attic,  and  while  we 
stood  looking  at  the  broken  pane,  I  thought 
1  saw  something  moving  between  them.  Will 
grasped  my  arm. 

"  There 's  some  one  up  there ;  it 's  that 
burglar ! " 

We  didn't  see  anything  more,  and  Home 
said  it  had  all  been  a  notion,  but  Will  said  it 
was  n't  a  notion,  and  left  us  boys  to  watch  the 
house  while  he  went  for  Mr.  Kitely. 

iNlr.  Kitely  came  with  three  other  men,  and 
the  school-house  key.  Two  of  the  men  stayed 
at  the  outside  door,  and  Mr.  Kitely  and  the 
other  man  and  we  boys  went  up  into  the  school- 
room. They  put  a  ladder  up  to  the  ventilator, 
and  Mr.  Kitely  took  his  pistol  out,  and  went 
up  the  ladder,  and  put  his  head  through  the 
ventilator. 


FURTHER  EXPLOITS.  IGl 

It  was  a  thrilling  moment,  but  instead  of  a 
commotion  up  there,  Kitely  just  stepped  down 
on  the  next  ladder  round  and  looked  down  on 
us,  anJ  said  he,  — 

"  I  '11  give  you  Jessy,  young  Bradley,  for 
trumping  up  this  sell." 

"  Ha  was  there  !  "  said  both  Will  and  I. 

" some  beaui'they  saw,"  said  one  man. 

"  Does  a  beam  have  a  head,  and  dodge  out 
of  sight?"  said  Will. 

"  When  we  left  school  that  ventilator  was 
open,  and  when  we  came  in  here  the  board  was 
down,"  said  Home. 

We  all  remembered  Ike's  having  opened  it. 
I  was  so  sure  the  man  was  somewhere  in  the 
house  that  I  ran  out-of-doors. 

Mr.  Kitely  finally  decided  to  search  the 
building,  and  they  found  the  man  in  the  cellar 
behind  the  furnace.  Will  told  him  how  wo 
happened  to  discover  him,  and  seemed  surprised 
that  he  did  n't  appear  to  enjoy  the  joke  better ; 
and  Tommy  asked  him  if  he  was  n't  ashamed 
to  "make  all  this  fuss." 

Mr.  Bradley  took  both  the  burglars  to 
11 


162  WE  BOYS. 

Wiircester,  to  lodge  them  in  the  jail,  and  we 
boys  went  to  the  depot  with  them.  Will  asked 
if  he  could  n't  have  enough  of  the  "  reward  "  to 
treat  us  boys  with  chocolate  mice  or  something, 
but  no  one  paid  any  attention  to  him. 

I  was  glad  we  were  through  with  the  bur- 
glars, for  Will  and  I  seemed  to  have  been 
unpleasantly  mixed  up  with  them. 

The  next  Wednesday  Will  was  not  in  school 
at  either  session,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  dis- 
missed I  ran  down  to  look  him  up.  He  was 
sitting  in  the  front  door,  and  his  face  was 
swollen  and  tied  up  with  a  handkerchief.  He 
smelled  of  hops  and  paregoric,  and  said  he  'd 
had  the  toothache.  Ha  was  gloomy,  and  said 
he  did  wish  something  would  turn  up ;  he  was 
tired  of  this  sameness  of  things. 

"  I  'm  sure  there  has  n't  been  much  sameness  ; 
there  were  the  burglars,"  said  I. 

"Pho!  what  were  the  burglars?"  said  he, 
contemptuously. 

"  I  wish  that  mountain  over  there  would  break 
forth  into  fire,  smoke,  and  melting  lava,"  said 
he.     "I  should  enjoy  the  excitement,  —  smoke, 


FURTHER  EXPLOITS.  163 

hot  water,  and  ashes  a-flying,  streams  of  fire 
hissing  dowu  the  mountain,  and  people  running 
with  their  silver  teapots  and  money  bags,  just 
as  they  did  years  ago  over  there  in  Pompey." 
"Not  Po;7//?e^y,"  said  I. 

"Hercules,  then;    I  wouldn't  be  particular 
which  one.      I  should  want  everybody  to  get 
away  safely ;  and  then  what  fun  it  would  be  to 
come  back  the  next  morning,  walk  over  the  roofs 
of  the  houses,  and  see  a  chimney  or  a  church 
steeple  sticking  out  here  and  there.     A\hat  good 
times  we  should  have  in  digging  down  to  our 
things  !     If  I  lived  anywhere  around  in  Italy  I 
should  go  to  Hercules ;  but  now  I  should  have 
to  cross  the  ocean,  and  I  a' most  know  I  should 
foil  from  the  ship's  mast-head  and  be  drowned. 
I  wish  I  could   go   somewhere,   though ;    1  Ve 
never  been  beyond  York  State.     What's  York 
State?" 

I  replied  that  York  State  was  a  great  deal, 
and  tried  to  show  Will  that  it  was. 

"  Pho  !  there  are  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  Hindostan  and  Cape 
Good  Hope  ;  don't  talk  to  me  of  Yor-rk  State  !  " 


164  WE  BOTS. 

"  There 's  going  to  be  a  Sabbath-school  picnic 
next  week,"  said  I,  thinking  best  to  divert  his 
mind. 

"  I  don't  care  an3'thing  about  picnics  ;  they  're 
too  tame.  I've  been  reading  about  a  boy  who 
robbed  a  melon  patch.  1  'd  like  to  rob  a  melon 
patch  ;  but  all  the  melons  around  here  are  gOue- 
to-seed  cucumbers,  and  I  might  steal  enough 
to  kill  myself  and  nobody  would  make  a  fuss 
about  it." 

I  had  heard  my  father  read  something  from 
the  newspaper  about  "dangerous  characters," 
and  the  horrible  thought  flashed  across  me  that 
"Will  talked  like  a  "  dangerous  character." 

"Let's  go  down  to  the  depot  and  ramble 
around  among  the  engines,"  said  he,  getting  up 
and  knocldng  the  paregoric,  peppermint,  and 
camphor  bottles  on  the  floor  into  one  heap. 

I  hinted  that  his  face  w^as  too  much  swollen 
to  warrant  his  appearing  on  the  street ;  but  he 
did  n't  mind  what  I  said,  and  we  went  on  to  the 
depot. 

A\'hen  we  reached  the  depot  there  were  en- 
gines and  a  freight  train   in,   cars  were  being 


FURTIIEB  EXPLOITS.  165 

switched  off  and  backed  up,  trains  running 
through,  and  a  great  deal  going  on.  V\ill 
always  wants  to  bj  in  the  midst  of  things,  and 
we  went  out  among  the  tracks  and  around  the 
turn-table. 

"  Look  at  the  lettering  on  those  cars,"  said  he, 
as  a  long  freight  train  rushed  past.  " '  Through 
Freight,  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  —Blue  Line,— 
San  Francisco,  Omaha,  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  New 
York,  and  Boston.'  How  much  and  how  far 
they  travel !  —  going  all  the  time  ;  and  here  are 
we  just  stuck  down  still  in  this  place,  Baywater, 
Bay  water,  Baywater  on  all  sides  of  us  !  " 

"  Look  out,  there  I  "  shrieked  voices  back  of 
us.  A  man  twitched  Will  off  the  track,  and  an 
euirinc  shot  by  like  lisrhtnino-. 

Will  just  stood  and  stared  at  the  track.  I 
thought  I  should  faint.  We  finally  went  over 
and  sat  down  on  the  freight-house  platform,  and 
Will  dropped  his  head  in  his  hands.  The  w^ork- 
men  were  talking. 

"That  was  a  mighty  narrer  escape,"  said  one. 

"If  he  hadn't  been  snatched  off  that  instant 
't  would  a  took  him,"  said  another. 


166  wi:  BOYS. 

"  I  wonder  there  ain't  more  of  'em  run  over 
than  there  is.  They  're  daown  araound  here  all 
hours  of  the  day,  and  the  carelessest  set  of 
young  ones  in  the  countr}^" 

"Learn  you  a  lesson  about  hangin'  around 
depots,  won't  it,  bub?"  said  one  to  Will. 

Will  did  n't  answer,  but  crossed  over  the 
track  and  started  for  home.  lie  hadn't  spoken 
since  he  Avas  pulled  off. 

"  It  was  dreadful,  was  n't  it,  Will?  "  said  I. 

He  lifted  up  his  face,  and  he  was  white  as  a 
ghost. 

"  Where  should  I  have  been  now.  Bob  ? " 
asked  he. 

Of  course,  I  could  n't  very  well  answer,  but  it 
sent  cold  chills  over  me.  No  more  was  said,  and 
Will  turned  in  at  his  own  gate  while  I  went  on. 

Will  was  at  school  the  next  day,  but  he  Avas 
sober,  and  did  n't  appear  to  take  an  interest  in 
anything.  At  recess  I  managed  to  get  him  out 
on  one  side  the  yard  alone  with  me. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Will?"  said  I;  "you 
don't  act  at  all  like  yourself." 

" Don't  want  to,"  growled  he.     "I  'm  sick  of 


FURTHER  EXPLOITS.  107 

myself,  Bob ;  I  'cl  be  glad  enough  to  be  somebody 
else  if  I  could.  Everybody  is  disgusted  with  me. 
I  'ill  a  disgrace  to  my  parents  and  '  a  stumbling- 
block  and  a  rock  of  offence '  in  this  school ;  I  'm 
an  evil  associate  for  you,  and  have  led  you  into 
the  '  ways  of  iniquity '  time  and  again.  I  'm 
never  going  to  play  with  you  any  more." 

I  laughed  out,  —  what  Aunt  Lovisa  calls  my 
"nervous  laugh." 

"Giggle,  will  you?  I  don't  feel  much  like 
giggling.  I've  come  near  dying,  and  near 
being  killed,  besides  a  good  many  accidents, 
within  the  past  three  mouths ;  and  I  believe  it 's 
time  I  began  to  take  advice  and  behave  myself. 
I  would  really  like  to  be  good,  —  good  as  Ed 
is,  you  know;  but  I  don't  s'pose  I  ever  shall." 

The  bell  rang  just  then,  and  I  never  was 
more  glad  to  hear  it.  I  couldn't  bear  to  hear 
Will  talk  so  solemn. 

Something  happened  that  afternoon  for  which 
I  was  very  sorry.  Sue  Vallaudigham  expects 
to  be  a  poetess,  and  she  practises  a  good  deal 
nowadays.  She  don't  like  Will,  but  she's 
written   a   great   deal  of  poetry  at   me.     The 


168  WE  BOYS. 

master  that  afternoon  saw  her  passing  a  spell- 
ing-book to  my  desk,  and  made  her  read  the 
paper  that  was  in  it.     This  was  it,  — 

Thou  art  not  like  the  run  of  boys, 

0  Eobert ! 

There  is  a  gentleness  and  a  winsomeness  in  thee 

That  disarms  criticism. 

Thou  art  not  like  those  rude  boys  with  whom 

Thy  lot  is  cast,  but  seerast  to  walk  apart; 

And  in  thy  blue  eyes  I  see  reflected  the  light 

Of  far-off  worlds. 

Since  thou  hadst  that  scarlet  fever,  —  fearful  disease !  — 

Thou  hast  been  pale,  puny,  peaked,  of  ethereal  mould, 

As  if  thy  body  couldst  not  hold  thy  soul; 

And  sometimes  I  sit  and  think,  when  the  sunshine 

Shines  on  the  floor, — 

How  shouldst  we  miss  thy  innocent  prattle, 

And  one  boy  who  would  not  tattle ; 

AVho  did  not  carr}^  gunpowder  and  bumblebees 

And  rubber  snappers,  in  his  pocket; 

Who  was  kind  alike  to  rich  and  poor, 

And  had  good  lessons. 

1  hope  thou  willst  break  away  from  bad  influences; 

Scorn  the  temiDter  and  his  folly, 
Though  he  be  both  smart  and  jolly. 
He  will  work  you  only  ill. 
Just  so  sure  as  his  name  is  Will. 


FURTHER  EXPLOITS.  169 

The  reference  to  bad  influences  made  Will 
bluer  than  ever,  and  the  poem  didn't  make 
me  feel  very  comfortable.  I  asked  mother 
that  nio-ht  if  she  thouo-lit  I  needed  anvthinar 
"  strengthening." 

All  the  next  morning  Will  was  very  absent- 
minded,  studying  a  lesson  we  'd  taken  three 
days  before,  and  when  asked  why,  in  comput- 
ing interest  at  six  per  cent,  we  reckon  five  mills 
for  every  odd  day,  replying,  "For  Bob's  sake," 
Just  before  intermission  he  brightened  up  a 
little  ;  and  as  I  left  the  yard  for  home  he  came 
up  and  ran  his  arm  through  mine,  and  says  he, 

"I'm  o-oino:  to  do  it,  Bob." 

"Going  to  do  what?" 

"  Going  to  turn  over  a  new  leaf,  fair  and 
square ;  no  backing  out  allowed/' 

"O  Will,  I  wouldn't!" 

"  Wouldn't!  Why  not?  "  asked  he,  stopping 
and  looking  astonished  and  disappointed. 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  try  anything  new  : 
you  '11  get  into  some  scrape  or  other.  I  think 
it 'S  safer  for  you  to  keep  right  along  as  you  ate." 

"Oh!    but   Bob,"   said  he,   putting  his  arm 


170  WE  BOYS. 

around  my  shoulders  and  giving  me  a  squeeze, 
"  I  'm  going  to  be  a  Letter  boy ;  1  'm  going  to 
remem1)er  that  there  's  somebody  in  the  world 
besides  Will  Bradley  ;  I'm  going  to  try  more  to 
please  my  father  and  mother  and  the  master. 
That  is  n't  all,  either  :  I  'm  going  to  the  root  of 
the  matter,  —  I  'm  going  to  try  under  all  my 
doings  to  be  better." 

"  If  you  really  do  that,  I  think  it  will  be  a 
great  improvement,  Will,"  said  I. 

"  Give  us  your  hand  on  it,  Bobby." 

"The  only  thing  I'm  afraid  of,"  added  he, 
"  is  that  I  shall  get  discouraged  and  back  out. 
I  Ve  had  two  or  three  such  spells  before." 

"  If  I  was  in  your  place  I  'd  tell  Ed ;  he 
understands  all  about  such  things,  and  maybe 
he  could  help  you,"  said  I. 

Will  declared  that  was  a  good  idea,  and  at 
the  next  recess  we  held  an  interview  with  Ed, 
back  of  Martin's  shed. 

"If  you  honestly  wish  to  be  a  better  boy, 
Will,"  said  he,  "there's  nothing  in  the  world 
to  prevent,  —  no  secret  or  mystery  about  it. 
None  of  us    are  very  good ;   but   some    of  us 


FURTHER  EXPLOITS.  Ill 

work  towards  it  and  some  of  us  don't,  and 
that  makes  a  difference.  "When  you  know 
what  is  right,  do  it ;  and  when  you  don't 
know,  try  to  find  out." 

"  Supposing  I  try  it  three  or  four  weeks,  and 
then  comes  a  week  when  I  get  careless,  don't 
ask  whether  an  act  is  right  or  wron<r,  and 
shoukln't  care  if  I  did  ask?  After  that  I'm 
discouraged,  and  feel  that  it's  no  use  trying." 

"  Oh !  you  must  n't  do  that  way.  You 
musttCt  give  up,"  said  Ed. 

I  crept  away.  I  can't  bear  to  hear  serious 
talk,  it  makes  me  feel  so  kind  of  queer.  I 
hope  it  is  n't  because  I  'm  so  wicked. 

But  Will  has  been  a  better  boy.  Homer  says 
'*  something  has  come  over  him,"  and  Cynthia 
and  Sue  say  they  "  hope  it  will  last  a  while."  He 
has  n't  done  anything  remarkably  good,  but  he, 
himself,  seems  different ;  he 's  more  thoughtful 
about  injuring  people's  feelings  ;  he  does  n't  draw 
pictures,  nor  make  deaf-and-dumb  letters  in 
school;  and  he  blacks  his  fathers  boots,  brings 
in  wood  for  his  mother,  and  runs  on  errands, 
without  makiner  a  fuss  about  it. 


172  WE  BOYS. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

I]Sr  THE   WOODS. 

rriHE  week  after  Will  turned  over  his  new 
leaf  we  had  a  Sabbath-school  picnic  in  the 
Grew  woods.  We  usually  have  our  picnic  in 
June ;  but  at  that  time  this  year  the  superin- 
tendent was  sick,  and  it  was  deferred. 

We  played  in  a  gorge  back  of  the  woods, 
where  none  of  the  grown  people  came.  The 
girls  ornamented  themselves  with  leaves  and 
flowers  to  represent  the  seasons.  Eose,  with 
red  and  yellow  leaves  and  scarlet  berries,  was 
autumn;  Ilattie  Davis,  with  green  leaves  and 
grasses,  Avas  summer;  Nellie  said  she  would 
play  that  blue  gentians  and  golden-rods  were 
violets  and  apple-blossoms,  and  dress  for  spring. 
Ed  told  her  she  was  a  spring  flower  her- 
self. I  think  it  is  silly  for  a  boy  like  Ed  to 
talk  nonsense  to  a  little  girl  like  Nellie.  Why 
don't  he  take  one  of  his  own  a":e  ?    Will  said  he 


IN  THE   WOODS.  173 

himself  was  going  to  be  stern  old  winter,  and 
rigged  himself  out  with  hemlock  sprigs  and 
strips  of  birch  bark  in  a  wintry  and  ghastly 
manner. 

When  we  were  putting  our  lunch  on  the  table, 
Charlie  Payson  opened  a  tin  pail  Sue  Vallan- 
digham  had  brought,  and  there  were  three 
dreadful  dried-apple  pies  !  Charlie  clapped  on 
the  cover  again. 

"  Keep  quiet,  Bobby,"  whispered  he. 

But  when  we  sat  down,  and  Sue  saw  that  the 
pies  were  n't  on  the  table,  she  pushed  back  hei 
chair,  dove  under  the  table  and  brought  out  the 
pail.  Will,  who  was  sitting  beside  Rose,  gave 
me  a  glance  out  of  the  corner  of  one  eye,  but 
he  went  on  talking,  and  none  of  us  appeared  to 
observe  it,  —  that  is  none  of  us  but  Tommy,  — 
when  Sue  crowded  her  three  pies  on  the  table. 
Tomtny  said,  — 

"  You  don't  catch  me  with  those  !  " 

Tommy  ate  of  everything  good,  like  a  little 
raven ;  and  I  don't  believe  he  brought  a  thing. 
Ed  and  Will,  out  of  regard  to  Sue's  feelings, 
each  took  a  piece  of  pie ;  but,  when  she  was 


174  WE  BOYS. 

looking  the  other  way,  "Will  threw  his  under 
the  table. 

After  supper  we  played  in  the  woods,  told 
conundrums  and  fortunes  on  the  ferns  ;  then 
there  came  up  a  shower  and  we  had  to  take 
refuge  under  the  table.  Will  sat  down  on  the 
piece  of  Sue's  pie  he  had  thrown  there,  and  we 
had  a  very  funny  time.  Ike  Tucker,  who  came 
stalking  around  in  an  aimless  kind  of  a  wa}^ 
crawled  under  the  table  for  shelter,  and  told  us 
a  story  about  how  when  he  lived  up  in  Vermont, 
he  once  went  raccoon-hunting.  AY  ill  became 
very  much  interested,  and  declared  that  on  the 
first  moonlight  night  we  boys  must  go  'coon 
hunting  in  the  Grew  woods. 

The  next  day  he  talked  'coon-hunt  all  the 
time.  lie  was  performing  an  example  on  the 
blackboard  and  wanted  the  eraser,  and  he  asked 
for  "  the  raccoon."  The  large  boys  scoffed  about 
equally  at  Will  and  at  his  'coon.  Harry  Blakes- 
lee,  a  young  man  in  our  school  who  wears  a 
mustache  and  perfumes  his  handkerchief,  in- 
quired why,  while  we  were  abont  it,  we  did  n't 
hunt  grizzlies  in  the  Grew  woods?     But  Ike, 


m  THE  WOODS.  175 

who  is  always  ready  for  fun,  and  who  professes 
to  be  an  experienced  hunter,  volunteered  to 
take  charge  of  a  party  of  us. 

"VVe  had  the  most  exciting  times  in  getting 
our  fire-arms  ready.  Charlie  Payson  brought  to 
school  his  father's  seven-shooter,  silver-mounted, 
to  ask  Ike  if  that  "  would  do  " ;  Homer  tore 
aroimd  until  he  found  a  gun  that  sometimes 
failed  to  go  ofi",  but  when  it  did  go  never  failed 
to  "  kick,"  then  he  invested  his  entire  capital  in 
three  different  kinds  of  shot,  and  forgot  that  he 
needed  powder  and  caps  ;  I  spent  all  my  leisure 
time  in  burnishing  up  an  old  muslict  I  had 
found  in  grandpa's  garret;  Will  molted  lead 
pipe  and  cast  bullets  day  and  night ;  and 
Tommy  Taylor,  who  had  neither  arms,  ammu- 
nition, nor  mone}^,  and  whose  father  had 
expressly  forbidden  his  going,  talked  largely 
of  how  "that  'coon"  would  feel  when  he  saw 
us  a-comino;. 

Will  undertook  training  Zip  by  half-starving 
him,  because  he  thought  a  hungry  dog  would 
hunt  best ;  but  he  kept  him  a  little  too  short,  for 
Zip  broke  away  and  stole  the  family  beefsteak. 


176  WE  BOYS. 

A  difference  of  opinion  arose  as  to  how  we 
should  dress,  —  some  said  we  ought  to  have 
shooting-jackets ;  some  said  ru])ber  overcoats 
were  the  thing.  Ike  said  it  did  n"t  matter, 
the  'coon  was  n't  as  sagacious  an  animal  as 
the  fox,  and  wasn't  as  particular  about  what 
people  wore  hunting. 

My  mother  h;id  objected  to  my  going,  but 
my  father  gave  his  consent,  charging  Ike  to 
take  care  of  me,  and  bring  me  back  before  ten 
o'clock.  He  would  n't  allow  me  to  carry  the 
musket. 

When,  after  tea,  we  met  at  Will's  we  were 
all  heavily  accoutred,  and  Charlie  had  gotten 
himself  up  elegantly  in  a  suit  his  father  wore 
fox-hunting  when  he  was  in  Rome.  Mrs.  Brad- 
ley gave  us  a  great  many  cautions,  and  took 
away  nearly  all  our  powder.  We  were  just 
ready  to  start  when  the  qucbtion  arose  as  to 
how  a  raccoon  looked.  How  should  we  know 
him  when  we  met  him?  All  we  could  learn 
from  Ike  was  that  he  looked  like  a  woodchuck, 
except  that  he  had  a  striped  tail. 

"Except  that  he  has  a  striped  tail, — has  a 


IN  THE   WOODS.  177 

striped  tail,"  muttered  Home  to  himself,  as  if 
be  was  learning  geography. 

Will  fomid  raccoon  in  "Webster's  pictorial 
dictionary,  and  we  studied  the  picture  until  we 
could  see  how  it  looked  with  our  eyes  shut. 
i(The  face  of  the  raccoon  in  the  dictionary  looks 
some  like  Tommy  Taylor.) 

We  were  in  the  edge  of  the  woods  when  we 
beard  something  running  and  panting  after  us. 
Home  thought  maybe  if  was  the  'coon,  and  he 
stepped  forward  so  as  to  bring  Ike  and  I 
between  himself  and  the  animal. 

The  animal  proved   to   be   Tommy  Taylor.  ( 
He   had   heard  something  about  rubber  over- 
coats, and  had  come  in  his  father's.     It  flapped 
around  his  legs  like  a  blanket. 

"  I  thought  your  father  forbade  your  coming," 
said  Will. 

"Did,"  chuckled  Tommy ;  "  but  I  went  to  bed 
early,  and  came  down  on  the  wood-shed  roof." 

Will  was  for  sending  him  home,  but  Tom 
would  n't  be  sent  home,  and  followed  on 
sulkily. 

The  dogs  did  n't  appear  exactly  as  we  had 

12 


178  WE  BOYS. 

expected.  They  smelled  around  Tommy  a 
good  deal,  but  did  n't  start  on  the  trail  of  any 
other  game. 

"  Let 's  sit  down  and  eat  our  lunch,  and  give 
them  time,"  said  Home. 

Home  is  the  gi'eatest  boy  for  lunches ; 
."wherever  we  're  going  he  proposes  taking  one. 
Then  he  always  forgets  his  own,  and  has  to  eat 
with  Will  and  Charlie,  who  usually  bring  some- 
thing good.  After  we  had  eaten,  Ike  said  we 
must  separate,  and  go  into  different  parts  of  the 
woods,  so  as  to  have  a  better  chance  for  start- 
ing up  the  game. 

"Xo,"  said  Home,  "we  ought  not  to  break 
the  strength  of  the  party." 

But  Ike  insisted,  and  sent  the  boys  off  in 
different  directions.  I  remained  with  him,  as 
my  father  had  directed.  After  w^e  were  left 
alone,  he  sat  down  on  an  old  log,  and  had  a 
long  laugh  all  to  himself. 

"Ike,"  said  I,  "I  don't  l)elieve  you  think 
there  's  any  raccoon  here." 

''  Supposing  there  is  n't  ?  "  Half  the  people 
in  the  world    are  huntins"  'coons   where  there 


/JV  THE   WOODS.  179 

are  n't  any ;  but  so  long  as  they  believe  there 
are,  they  enjoy  the  hunt  just  as  well." 

We  had  n't  been  there  long  before  we  heard 
Tommy  scream,  "Ike,  Ike,  Ike!'"  and  he  came 
crashing  through  the  underbrush,  tripping  up  on 
his  long  coat,  and  tearing  himself  shockingly, 
lie  had  seen  the  'coon ! 

"AwfuUest  looking  creature!"  gasped  he. 
''  Large  as  a  sheep,  snarled  and  spit  and  hissed 

—  chased  me  half-way  back  —  thought  't  would 
get  me  —  don't  catch  me  alone  again  !  " 

Just  then  we  heard  the  report  of  a  gun,  and 
we  started  in  the  direction  of  the  firing,  Tom 
and  I  keeping  close  behind  Ike.  We  found 
Home  lying  on  his  back  in  a  blackberry  thicket ; 
he  had  fired  his  gun.     He  had  seen  the  animal. 

"  'T  was  n't  any  'coon  ;  't  was  large  as  a  calf 

—  crouched  down,  creeping  along  under  those 
bushes.     "When  it  heard  me,  it  turned  its  head 

—  eyes  looked  like  balls  of  fire.     Oh  !  I  never 

—  saw  —  anything  like  it !  " 

Home  trembled  like  a  leaf,  Ike  was  a  good 
de  il  excited,  and  I  never  was  so  frightened  in 
my  life.     I  expected  something  would  spring 


180  WE  BOYS. 

out  from  the  bushes  or  clown  from  the  trees, 
and  fasten  its  claws  in  me.  Tom  cried  and 
wished  he  had  n't  come. 

Ike  phmged  through  the  bushes  in  the  direc- 
tion Home  said  the  animal  had  taken,  and  we 
boys  followed  because  we  did  n't  dare  stay  be- 
hind. Home  claimed  o-reat  credit  for  his  courage 
in  firing,  and  talked  as  if  the  animal,  wherever 
it  was,  Avas  suffering  from  its  death  wound. 
We  came  into  a  space  of  open  woodland. 

"  There  he  is  —  there  — Jii^e,  Ike,  fire!  "  cried 
Home,  dodging  behind  Ike. 

Tom  and  I  caught  Ike  around  the  waist.  It 
was  dreadful  there  in  the  night,  in  the  heart  of 
the  "woods,  with  unknown  animals  with  eyes  of 
fire  on  all  sides  of  us. 

"Hold  on,  boys;  it's  only  me,"  said  the 
strano-e  animal  in  a  voice  like  Will's. 

Oh  !  how  relieved  we  were  to  find  it  was  not 
a  raccoon  ! 

Will  had  neither  seen  or  heard  the  animal, 
had  lost  Zip,  and  was  a  good  deal  discouraged. 
Just  then  Homer" s  dog  was  heard  barking  as  if 
he  had  found  game,  and  we  dashed  ahead. 


m  THE  WOODS.  181 

We  found  Leo  at  the  foot  of  a  largo  maplo. 
He  had  treed  the  game. 

The  excitement  was  now  tremendous.  Tom 
and  I  concluded  to  stop  where  we  were ;  the 
other  boys  cautiously  approached  the  tree.  Ike 
cried  out  that  he  saw  the  animal  crouched  on  a 
branch.  Home  pronounced  it  a  panther.  Ike, 
Will,  and  Home  took  up  line  together,  and 
fired.  Will's  rifle  missed;  Homer's  kicked  him 
over,  as  usual ;   Ike  l)rought  down  the  game. 

We  all  rushed  up. 

It  was  a  great  yellow  house-cat ! 

"  GoUi/  !  "  said  Home  at  length. 

Will  went  up  and  poked  the  "  animal "  over 
with  the  butt  of  his  gun. 

"It's  Mrs.  Deacon  Clapp's  cat,  boys,"  said 
he  ;  "  and  I  would  n't  h  ive  had  it  killed  for  five 
dollars.     She  just  worshipped  that  cat  I  " 

That  made  us  feel  rather  gloomy,  for  Mrs. 
Deacon  Clapp  is  one  of  our  best  friends  Will 
picked  up  the  cat,  which  he  said  Mrs.  Clapp 
might  like  to  stuff  and  keep  in'memoriam ;  and 
we  went  to  look  up  Charlie.  After  a  good  deal 
of  shouting,  and  hunting,  and  some  fright,  we 


182 


WE  HOYS. 


fouuci  him  siitin<^  on  a  bowlder  in  the  pasture 
east  of  the  woods.  He  had  lost  hinisclf,  had 
waded  through  the  marsli,  torn  his  gay  shoot- 
ing-jacket, ruined  his  trousers,  and  1  )st  his  cap. 

"  I  tell  you,  bo}  s,"  said  he,  "  if  a  man  is  goinij 
to  hunt  with  any  comfort,  he  wants  open  land, 
and  a  horse  to  do  it  on.  Woods  are  no  place 
to  hunt  in  ! " 

It  was  useless  thinking  to  find  the  things 
we  had  lost  that  night,  and  we  went  directly 
home,  —  Will  with  the  yellow  cat  thrown  over 
his  shoulder.     Zip  was  lost  entirely. 


CATS,  DOGS,  ETC.  183 


CHAPTEE    XIY. 

CATS,  DOGS,  ETC. 

TKE  went  out  early  the  next  morning  and 
hunted  up  the  caps,  coats,  and  guns  we  had 
lost,  but  couldn't  find  Zip.  Tommy  Taylor 
came  to  school  looking  very  subdued,  and  he 
.frequently  heaved  a  sigh,  especially  when  he 
sat  down  suddenly.  Will,  who  lacks  delicacy 
of  feeling,  asked  him  what  happened  between 
himself  and  his  father  that  morning,  and  he 
said,  "Oh  !  nothiu',"  and  spat  on  his  slate. 

Will  and  I  carried  the  yellow  cat  down  to 
Deacon  Clapp's.  We  had  dreaded  it  the  worst 
way,  and  had  planned  how  to  break  the  news 
to  the  old  lady  gently. 

"  We  must  leave  the  cat  outside,  and  go  in 
looking  very  sober,"  said  Will.  "After  a  while, 
I  shall  say,  '  How  long  since  you  've  seen  your 
cat,  Mrs.  Clapp?'  and  wheu  she  says,  'Ni;t 
since   last   night,'  I  shall   draw  a  sigh,  — you 


184  WE  BOYS. 

draw  one  too,  Bob,  —  aud  I  shall  say,  'You've 
seen  her  alive  for  the  last  time,  I  fear,  Mrs. 
Clapp.'" 

But  when  INIrs.  Clapp's  housemaid  ushered 
us  into  the  sitting-room,  there  on  her  velvet 
cushion  lay  the  very  cat  we  supposed  we  had 
left  at  the  door. 

"Why,  where  —  where  did  she  come  from?" 
gasped  Will. 

"Betty?  why  I've  had  her  these  fifteeu 
years, — you  know  Betty,  Will." 

"Why,"  said  Will,  in  a  burst  of  joy,  "I 
thought  we  shot  her  !  " 

After  we  'd  explained  matters,  we  buried  the 
strange  cat  in  the  river  without  ceremony.  I 
suppose  her  relatives  came  to  the  funeral,  for 
while  we  were  playing  leap-frog  before  afternoon 
session.  Rose  and  Nellie,  who  had  been  playing 
down  by  the  river,  came  running  up  greatly  agi- 
tated, and  said  there  was  a  poor  little  kitty  swim- 
ming down  the  river  on  a  board,  and  if  some  one 
did  n't  get  it  out  quick,  it  woukl  drown. 

Will  came  near  drowning  himself,  but  rescued 
the  kitten,  and  handed  it  to  Rose. 


CATS,  DOGS,  ETC.  185 

It  was  a  poor,  homely,  draggled,  half-starved 
little  thing,  and  so  cold  and  frightened  it  trem- 
bled like  a  leaf;  but  Rose  wiped  it  dry  on  her 
silk  apron,  and  held  it  to  her  neck  until  it 
warmed  up.  She  and  Nellie  took  turns  in  fond- 
ling it,  and  kissed  its  little  blue  nose  as  much 
as  if  it  had  been  a  beauty.  We  named  it 
Moses.  When  the  bell  rang,  Eose  pinned  her 
handkerchief  around  it  to  keep  it  warm,  and  put 
it  under  her  desk.  While  she  was  out  reciting, 
it  tumbled  out  of  the  desk  and  crawled  on  to  the 
floor.  The  handkerchief  was  pinned  tightly 
around  its  body,  and  when  it  tried  to  walk,  the 
pins  stuck  into  it,  and  it  stood  there  mewing, 
its  little  yellow  tail  erect,  trembling  and  a-trem- 
bling. 

The  master  said  whoever  that  cat  belons^ed 
to  might  raise  his  hand. 

Rose  owned  it,  and  the  master  sent  her  out, 
with  it.  She  shut  it  up  in  Martin's  shed.  '  At 
boy's  recess.  Tommy  Taylor  slyed  oif  into  the 
i^hed,  and  by  and  by  we  heard  a  kitten's  wailing 
from  that  direction.  We  went  up  on  tiptoe, 
and  looking  in,  saw  Tommy  with  both  hands 


186 


WE  BOYS. 


around  the  kitten's  throat,  squeezing  it  and 
giggling  over  it. 

Will  went  softly  in,  caught  Tommy  by  the 
back  of  the  neck,  and  gave  him  just  such  a 
choking  as  he  was  giving  the  kitten. 

"  ^  —  I  —  I  only  wanted  to  see  its  eyes 
b-b-bung  out,"   blubbered  Tommy. 

"That's  just  as  I  felt  about  your  eyes,"  said 
Will. 

"  If  there  's  anything  in  this  world  contemp- 
tibly cruel  and  cowardly,  it  is  tormenting  dumb 
animals,"  said  Ed  Hammond. 

''That's  so,  Ed,"  said  Will,  savagely  glaring 
at  Tommy. 

"  He  ought  to  be  sti'uug  up  ;  that  "s  just  what 
ought  to  be  done  with  him,"  said  Home,  who 
always  comes  in  strong  on  the  popular  side. 

We  agreed  that  we  would  u't  speak  to  Tommy 
again  until  that  time  the  next  day.  We  wrote 
a  note  to  Rose,  telling  her  how  her  kitten  had 
been  treated,  and  advising  her  to  put  it  in  a 
sal'er  place  ;  and  Ave  pinned  the  note  on  the  shed 
door  where  she  could  n't  fail  to  see  it  when  she 
came  out. 


CATS,  DOGS,  ETC.  187 

She  and  Nellie  privately  carried  the  kitten 
into  the  dressing-room,  put  it  into  Almina  Har- 
ris's dinner-pail  where  were  some  crumbs  they 
thought  "it  could  live  upon,"  crowded  down  the 
cover,  and  set  the  pail  away  on  the  upper  shelf. 
When  they  went  after  the  kitten  at  night,  it 
was  dead  as  a  door-nail.  They  both  lifted  up 
their  voices  and  wept.  Tommy  Taylor  was  tri- 
umphant, danced  a  schottische,  and  wouldn't  be 
put  down ;  Almina  was  indignant,  and  sputtered 
about  the  waj  they  'd  used  her  pail ;  and  w^e  had 
dreadful  times  all  round. 

Charlie  Payson  wanted  a  funeral,  and  offered 
his  watered  white  envelope-box  for  the  use  of 
the  mourners.  The  box  was  too  long  and  too 
shallow,  but  by  spreading  the  kitten  out  and 
tying  the  cover  on  it  did  very  well.  We  dug 
a  grave  with  sliingles  we  tore  off  the  shed. 
Homer  is  such  a  lazy  boy  he  can't  even  be 
one  of  four  to  dig  a  kitten's  grave  without 
giving  up  before  he  gets  it  deep  enough.  We 
lowered  the  box  by  means  of  ribbons  Rose  had 
ripped  off  her  apron. 

Charlie  Payson  thought  it  belonged  to  him  to 


188  WE  BOYS. 

pronounce  the  eulogy  because  be  bad  proposed 
baviug  tbe  funeral.  Will  tbougbt  it  belonged 
to  bim,  because  be  bad  saved  tbe  subject  from 
tbe  river.  Neitber  of  tbem  would  give  up, 
and  for  a  wbile  we  bad  two  euloaries  jjoino:  on 
at  tbe  same  time ;  but  Will  bas  tbe  best  com- 
mand of  Ian2:ua2:e,  and  out-talked  Cbarlie. 

We  filled  up  tbe  grave,  and  Will  planted  in 
tbe  fresb  eartb  a  bean, —  tbe  last  of  bis  spring- 
gun  ammunition.  "  It  '11  come  up  nice  and 
viny,  you  see,  Eose,  and  you  can  play  it's  an 
ivy,"  said  be. 

Of  two  sbingles  we  made  a  bead-board  in 
tbe  form  of  a  cross,  and  Gustus  Hillman  gave 
us  a  Latin  motto  to  cbalk  on  it.  Tbe  motto 
was ,  ^^Requies-cat. " 

"Means,  in  Englisb,  'Gone  to  be  an  angel,"' 
said  be. 

"Tben  'tis  n't  true,  and  I  'm  not  going  to  bave 
any  falsehoods  on  my  monuments,"  said  Rose. 

Then  Gustus  said  foreio:n  lan«i:uaojes  admitted 
of  a  variety  of  renderings.  This,  if  she  pre- 
ferred, might  be  translated,  "  Thou  reposest, 
O  Cat ! " 


CATS,  DOGS,  ETC.  189 

She  said  she  did  prefer ;  and  we  had  the  Latin 
in  white  chalk  on  the  front  side,  and  the  Eng- 
lish in  red  on  the  back. 

The  next  morning  Sue  Vallandigham  brought 
Eose  the  followins; 

LINES    ON    A    DEPARTED   KITTEN. 

To  R.  M.  P.  from  S.  A.  V. 

An  innocent  kitten  fell  into  the  river, 

Its  cries  the  air  did  rend: 
A  young  girl  did  it  discover, 

And  feared  its  life  must  soon  end. 

She  called  a  friendly  boy; 

He  waded  in  and  got  it  out. 
It  was  a  pretty  toy; 

Its  tail  three  inches  long,  —  about. 

Its  color  was  yellow, 

Its  eyes  a  mild  blue; 
It  was  choked  by  a  fellow, 

Who  made  it  mew. 

All  that  could  be  was  done  its  life  to  save; 

But  it  died  in  a  dinner-pail, 
And  was  buried  in  the  darksome  grave. 

While  we  all  did  wail. 


190  WE  BOYS. 

O  beauteous  kitten,  fare  thee  well  I 

Green  grows  the  grass  above  thy  tomb. 

How  our  hearts  ache  none  can  tell: 
Thou  art  gone  in  thy  youthful  bloom. 

Farewell ! 

Will  mourned  for  Zip  for  two  days,  and 
then  he  seemed  to  recover  spirits,  and  invited 
our  class  in  arithmetic  up  to  his  house  to  spend 
the  evening  and  cipher  together.  We're  in 
partial  payments  in  arithmetic,  and  I  don't 
knoAV  as  we  shall  ever  get  out. 

By  having  the  master  tell  us  what  to  do,  the 
large  boys  to  help  us  do  it,  and  by  ciphering 
together,  we  've  floundered  throua'h  two  or  three 
of  those  examples,  but  it's  exhausting.  When 
Will  is  in  the  mire,  of  course  I  'm  down  by  his 
side,  and  when  he  's  on  dry  land,  1  'm  there  too. 
He  every  morning  comes  to  school,  fresh  and 
hopeful,  takes  out  his  slate  and  Arithmetic,  sets 
down  the  principle,  and  spiritedlj^  computes  the 
interest  to  the  time  the  first  payment  was  made  ; 
but  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes  his  work  is  so 
muddled  up  that  it  takes  the  master,  Ed  Ham- 
mond, and  Ike  Tucker,  all  three,  to  pick  it  out, 
and  start  him  on  affain. 


GATS,  DOGS,  ETC.  191 

Homer  has  even  worse  times.  He  makes 
such  big  sprawly  figures  that  he  can't  put  an 
entire  example  on  his  slate,  and  by  the  time  he 
gets  to  the  end,  the  first  part  is  rubbed. out,  .and 
if  he 's  made  a  mistake  on  the  way,  it  is  all  over 
>vith  him. 

Charlie  is  the  best  mathematician  in  the  class. 
He  keeps  his  work  distinct,  and  always  knows 
whereab;iuts  in  an  example  he  is,  which  must 
be  one  great  comfort. 

The  girls  take  turns  in  weeping.  We  have  one 
or  more  of  them  shedding  tears  in  recitation  every 
day,  and  they  weep  at  irregular  intervals  all  the 
time.     Nellie  Roj^ce  is  particularly  cast  down. 

"Robby,"said  she  tearfully  the  other  night, 
"  I  don't  know  anything  and  I  never  shall,  and 
I  shall  mortify  my  father  to  death."  With  that 
she  cried  worse  than  ever. 

Cynthia  is  sullen,  but  if  she  once  gets  hold  of 
anything,  she  sticks  and  hangs  like  a  little  Avood- 
tick,  until  she  gn;iws  her  way  through.  The 
master  don't  approve  of  our  ciphering  together : 
he  says  it  isn't  a  self-reliant  way;  but  Will 
says,  ''Hang  self-reliance  while  you  are  in  par- 


192  WE  BOYS. 

tial  payments  ! "     And  we  decided  to  bang  it, 
and  went  to  Mr.  Bradley's. 

Every  one  was  hopeful.  Home  had  bought  a 
new  slate  half  as  large  as  the  blackboard ;  v/o 
had  all  laid  in  bonntifuUy  for  slate  pencils,  and 
dulled  all  the  jackknives  in  the  company  in 
sharpening  them.  The  dining-room  was  given 
up  for  our  use  and  we  ranged  ourselves  about 
the  table,  —  the  boys  around  Charlie,  the  girls 
around  Cynthia. 

With  a  good  deal  of  trouble  and  many  expla- 
nations from  our  leaders,  we  Avent  through  the 
first  example  ;  but  though  our  answers  agreed 
with  each  other,  they  did  n't  agree  with  the 
book.  "Will  thought  "the  book  must  be  wrong," 
but  Charlie  discovered  that  we  had  computed  it 
at  six  per  cent,  when  it  should  have  been  seven. 
Homer  wanted  to  knovf  if  we  could  n't  add  in 
the  seven  per  cent. 

''  Let's  let  it  go,"  said  Will ;  "  if  a  man  is  so 
hard  up  as  to  have  to  make  such  little  dabbing, 
scattering. payments,  I  say  let's  give  him  the 
difierence  betw^een  six  and  seven  per  cent.  1  'm 
goinof  to  brin";  on  the  refreshments." 

DO  O 


CATS,  BOGS,  ETC.  193 

With  that  he  disappeared  into  the  darkness  of 
the  pantry.  We  heard  him  knocking  around 
among  the  glassware,  tipping  over  a  tin  dish  or 
two,  and  finally  putting  his  head  in  through  the 
sitting-room  door,  and  screaming,  "  Mother, 
mother,  where  did  you  set  'em  ?  " 

Then  he  bobbed  back  into  the  darkness  again, 
and  presently  we  heard  a  slopping  and  a  splash- 
ing sound,  a  tin  pan  clattered  oS  on  the  floor, 
and  Will  appeared  in  the  door,  dripping  with 
milk. 

"Jerusalem  !  "  gasped  he. 

Then  Mrs.  Bradley  came  upon  the  scene,  and 
there  wus  much  sopping  up,  wiping  and  spon- 
ging, and  some  scolding.  In  the  midst  of  it 
there  came  a  scratching  and  a  low  whining  at 
the  door.  Will  threw  it  open,  and  in  bounded - 
Zip. 

He  licked  Will's  face  all  over,  ran  around  the 
room,  barked,  and  wagged,  and  yelped,  tipped 
over  the  apple-dish,  and  narrowly  missed  the 
lamp.  Mr.  Bradley,  when  he  came  from  the 
store,  told  us  that  Zip  had  appeared  at  Will's 
Grandfather  Goodrich's  the  night  after  the  hunt, 

16 


194  WE  BOYS.  * 

much  the  worse  for  wear  ;  but  Grandma  Good- 
rich had  nursed  hhii  up,  and  grandpa  brought 
him  clown  to  the  store. 

Charlie  and  Cynthia,  who  had  continued  at 
work  upon  the  example,  brought  the  answer 
out  right ;  and  after  we  had  copied  their  opera- 
tion, Will  took  Zip  in  his  arms,  and  we  sat 
around  the  fire,  and  ate  apples  and  grapes,  and 
told  bear  and  ""host  stories  of  a  thrillino:,  hair- 
starting  character.  Will  was  particularly 
dreadful  with  the  tale  of  a  "headless  horse- 
man." When  the  clock  struck  nine,  we  all 
started  as  if  the  ghosts  had  spoken. 

On  his  way  home  Homer  thought  he  caught 
a  glimpse  of  WilTs  "headless  horseman,"  started 
to  run,  tripped  and  fell,  bruising  his  face  so 
badly  that  his  expression  of  countenance  for 
the  next  few  days  was  far  from  pleasing. 

The  remainder  of  our  term  passed  off  pleas- 
antly, but  with  nothing  notable  happening. 
W^e  had  chestnutting  excursions,  and  political 
demonstrations,  and  a  menagerie  came  to  town. 
Will  tried  hard  to  be  a  good  boy,  though  he 
once  in  a  while  made  what  he  called   "a  bad 


CATS,  DOGS,  ETC.  195 

back-slide."  The  fortnight  before  the  close 
of  school  the  lars-e  scholars  were  enffiis-ed  in 
preparations  for  the  exhibition,  which  was  to 
come  the  evening  after  examination,  and  to  con- 
sist in,  tableaux,  plays,  and  music. 

They  did  n't  seem  to  wish  us  small  boys  to 
have  any  part  in  the  entertainment,  and  Will 
felt  rather  hurt  in  consequence.  Air  Pomeroy 
had  requested  them  to  enact  a  play  entitled, 
"Scenes  in  the  Life  of  the  Hebrew  Law-giver." 
The  Hebrew  law-giver  was  Closes.  They 
v\^ere  n't  at  all  pleased  with  the  play,  because  it 
was  old  and  stupid,  but  they  did  n't  dare  refuse 
Mr.  Pomeroy. 

"Let  me  be  tLe  infant  Moses,"  said  Will. 

"The  idea  of  it !  "  rephed  Miss  Belle  Ehodes, 
who  was  to  be  Pharaoh's  daughter. 

"  Then  let  me  be  the  Hebrew  who  slew  the 
Egyptian  in  the  wilderness,"  said  Will. 

No  ;  he  could  n't  be  that. 

"Let  me  be  the  Egyptian,  then." 

No  ;  they  did  n't  want  him  upon  the  stage  in 
any  capacity,  and  wouldn't  have  him. 

"I'll   be  one  of  the  frojys  that  overrun  the 


196  WE  BOYS. 

land  but  that  I  "11  go  on,  now,"  said  lie  to  me, 
privately. 

From  some  remarks  dropped  at  home,  I 
found  out  that  Aunt  Lovisa's  gentleman,  Mr. 
Jackson,  of  Troas,  was  coming  to  our  house 
about  the  time  school  closed,  and  though  my 
mother  has  taught  me  never  to  talk  of  family 
affairs  away  from  home,  I  happened  to  mention 
this  piece  of  news  to  Will.  Pie  seemed  to 
think  it  the  best  joke  of  the  season. 

"I  see  fun  ahead,  Rob,"  said  he,  "and  I  do 
hope  she'll  marry  him  ;  for  it  '11  be  a  blessing  in 
disguise  to  you,  and  you'll  have  no  end  of  cold 
chicken  and  ice-cream  at  the  w^edding." 

During  the  last  few  weeks  of  the  term, 
Cynthia  Strong,  who  is  usually  so  pert  and 
snappish,  was  extremely  sober,  and  Home  one 
day  asked  her  if  she  was  under  "concern  of 
mind."  Will  and  I  one  day  found  out  her 
trouble. 

Mr.  Strong  lives  a  half-mile  out  of  the  vil- 
lage. He  is  town-collector,  and  we  had  been 
out  there  with  money  to  pay  our  fathers'  taxes, 
and  were  coming  home  across  lots,  and  about 


aire.  DOGS,  ETC.  1-97 


crossing  the  brook,  when  we  heard  some  one 
cry mg  and  sobbing  behind  a  clump  of  willows. 
We  peeped  aromid,  and  there  was  Cynthia  all 
in  a  little  heap,  her  face  hid  in  her  lap.     We 
were  afraid  she  had  fallen  and  hurt  herself,  and 
Will  went  up  and  touched  her  on  the  shoulder. 
Sh3  flounced  up  and  looked  at  us,  but  did  n't 
attempt  to  rise. 
-"  Are  you  hurt  ?  "  asked  Will. 
-  No  ;  but  I  wish  I  was.     I  can't  go  anywhere, 
nor  do  anything,  nor  have  anything  like  other 
girls  ;  it 's  nothing  but  trouble,  trouble,  trouble!" 
"  What  troubles  ?  " 
"  Everything." 
"Well,  what  in  particular?" 
"You  11  make  fun  of  me  if  I  tell  you;  you 
all  make  fun  of  me,  you  think  I  'm  a  great  awk- 
ward, homely  girl,  and  I  am,  but  I  can't  help  it. 
I  'd  be  glad  to  be  nice  and  pretty  as  Rose  Paysou 
is,  but  I  was  n't  made  so  well  in  the  beginning ; 
't  is  n't  my  fault.     I  don't  want  to  grow  so  fast, 
nor  to  have  my  hands  spread  and  my  feet  bulge  ; 
but  they  do,  and  my  wrists  grow  bony,  the 
freckles  come,  and  here  I  be!" 


^^^  WH  BOYS. 


"We  won't  make  fun  of  you,  anrl  you  don't 
look  so  very  badly,  Cynthia,"  said  Will,  going 
down  on  the  grass  beside  her. 

"Yes,  I  do,"  retorted  Cynthia,  twisting  her 
handkerchief  hard.  "  I  know  just  how  I  Lk  ; 
and  examination  day  I  Ve  got  to  look  — oh,' 
I've  got  to  look  like  a  reg'lar  Vitth ~  be(/(/a// 
That  old  pink  delaine  is  all  I  'II  have  to  wear, 
and  that  is  streaked  and  spotted  and  faded  ;  the 
skirt  and  the  sleeves  are  too  short ;  it  pinches 
everywhere  and  the  hooks  and  eyes  keep  burst- 
ing off, —  I  shall  be  a  credit  to  the  school, 
shan't  I?" 

Will  did  n't  seem  to  know  what  to  say. 
"As  long  as  Sue  Vallandigham  wore  her  old 
dress,    I   thought   I   could  stand    it;    but   her 
mother's  bought  her  a  beautiful  blue  merino, 
and  it  does  seem  as  if  I  s/iall  die!     I  wish  I 
might,  and  go  and  be  an  angel,  and  have  a  robe 
I  should  n"t  grow  out  of.     Oh-h  dear  !  " 
"  Won't  your  father  get  you  a  new  dress  ?  " 
"No,  he  can't,  there  are  so  many  of  us  chil- 
dren, and  we  have  such  appetites,  and  he  can't 
get  pay  for  his  last  job.     It's  dreadful  to  be 


CATS,  BOGS,  ETC.  199 

poor  and  go  to  school  with  rich  girls.     I  've  a 
great  mind  to  run  away." 

''  You  'd  have  to  go  looking  worse  than  you  do 
now,  and  maybe  not  have  enough  to  eat,"  said 
I,  somewhat  frightened. 

.  "I  know  that ;  but  the  girls  would  n't  be  look- 
ing on,  and  I  shouldn't  be  so  dreadfully, — 
dr-ead-inWj  ashamed.  Just  the  minute  my 
father  gives  me  leave,  I  'm  going  away  to  work  ; 
and  I  '11  work  day  and  night,  —  day  and  night, 
—  and  won't  I  have  some  clothes  ?  I  '11  have  a 
black  silk  dress  that'll  stand  alone,  and  a  blue 
poplin  as  stiff  as  a  board,  I  will.  They  '11  see 
then  —  those  girls  with  their  plaid  silks  and 
gold  chains  —  that  Cynthia  Strong  is  as  good  as 
any  of  'em,  they  will." 

With  this,  Cynthia  straightened  up,  wiped 
her  eyes,  rolled  her  handkerchief  into  a  hard 
knot,  and  appeared  so  brave  and  determined 
that  she  seemed  in  a  better  mood  to  leave  than 
in  the  weeping  one.  Will  told  her  he  thought 
it  would  all,  in  some  way,  come  out  right,  and 
we  left. 

"  I  'm  Sony  for  her,  Bob,  and  she  will  look 


200  V,'E  BOYS. 

like  the  AVitch  of  Enclor ;  for  she  did  at  the  last 
examination,  and  she 's  grown  ever  so  much 
since,"  said  Will. 

"  Let 's  put  our  money  together,  and  earn 
enough  more  to  buy  her  a  dress,"  said  I.  "You 
and  I  might  as  well  be  doing  something  as 
Charlie  Payson." 

Will  approved,  and  that  evening  I  asked  my 
mother's  consent.  Aunt  Lovisa  laughed,  and 
said  Will  and  I  had  grown  "very  chivalric  " 
The  two  wrinkles  came  between  my  mother's 
ej'cs,  and  said  she,  "I  fully  approve  of  Rob's 
trying  to  help  the  little  girl,  Lovisa." 

jNIy  mother  never  laugiis  at  my  plans  whether 
they  're  "  chivalric  "  or  not.  She  gave  me  some- 
thing to  do  for  which  she  said  she  v.ould  pay 
me,  and  Will  did  errands  for  his  father.  By 
the  next  Saturday  night  we  had  each  earned  a 
dollar  and  a  quarter.  We  tried  to  interest  Home 
in  our  project. 

"It's  one  of  Will's  new  goodish  notions, 
is  n't  it  ?  "  asked  ho  privately  of  me. 

"I  don't  know  what  you  mean  by  goodish 
notions,"  retorted  I. 


CATS,  DOGS,  ETC.  201 

"Take  that  for  a  specimen,  then.  Will  has 
been  running  over  with  them  since  he  came 
micler  parson  Edward  Hammond's  influence. 
He  is  ra-a-ther  improving,  though  ;  he  tries  not 
to  be  so  tricky  —  " 

"Will  3^ou  join  us?"  interrupted  I. 

"Don't  believe  I  can,  Rob.  Much  obliged  for 
the  privilege,  but  spending-money  's  too  scarce, 
and  Cynthia  too  snappish.  You  oughtn't  to 
expect  a  growing  boy  to  stand  and  deliver  every 
time  a  G^irl  outOTOws  her  ""own." 

I  wonder  why,  when  some  people  are  asked 
to  do  a  thing  just  once,  they  always  put  in  the 
"  every  time  "  !^  Charlie  gave  seventy-iive  cents, 
Ed,  a  dollar,  and  my  mother  and  Mrs.  Payson 
the  remainder.  Mr.  Bradley  let  us  have  the 
material  —  blue  merino  like  Sue's  —  at  cost,  and 
Mrs.  Hammond  hired  it  made,  and  fitted  it  to 
Mollie,  who  is  about  Cynthia's  size. 

When  it  was  completed,  we  folded  it  up  into 
a  parcel,  pinned  on  it  a  card  inscribed,  "  Miss 
Cynthia  Strong,  from  a  few  of  her  Friends," 
and  put  it  under  her  desk.  She  came  in  late, 
and  looking  extremely  miserable.     She  put  her 


202  WE  BOYS, 

hand  under  the  desk  after  her  Testament,  and 
hit  the  parcel ;  she  drew  it  out,  read  the  note, 
and  looked  bewildered. 

All  through  prayers  she  kept  taking  little 
peeps  in  at  one  end  of  the  parcel,  and  imme- 
diately afterwards  she  tucked  it  under  her  apron, 
and  asked  to  "g'wout."  When  she  returned 
her  face  was  all  aHow. 

"I've  heard  of  angels  bringing  folks  thino-s," 
said  she,  at  noon,  "but  1  never  expected  any  of 
'em  would  come  near  wie  /  " 


EXAMINATION  AND  EXHIBITION.  203 


CHAPTEK    XV. 

EXAMINATION  AND  EXHIBITION. 

TpXAMINATION  came,  as  usual,  on  Fri- 
-'-^^  day.  We  attended  morning  session,  but 
did  nothing  except  perform  a  few  examples, 
and  arrange  for  the  afternoon.  A  dread  was 
on  us  as  if  a  great  crisis  was  at  hand. 

When  we  met  in  the  afternoon  we  had  on  our 
best  clothes,  and,  in  some  way,  it  seemed  as  if 
we  must  get  acquainted  over  again.  Will  had 
on  a  new  pair  of  boots  that  squeaked  out- 
rageously. 

We  were  to  sit  three  at  a  desk,  so  as  to 
make  room  for  the  spectators,  and  we  had  to 
put  a  board  across  the  two  chairs  at  each  desk, 
in  order  to  make  room  for  the  third  scholar. 
Our  board  was  rather  too  short,  and  there  was 
danger  of  its  slipping  off  at  one  end.  Tommy 
Taylor  sat  with  us,  and  Will  gave  him  a  charge 
before  school  commenced. 


2U4  ^  WE  BOYS. 

"NoAV,  Tommy,"  said  he,  "you'll  have  to  sit 
still  and  think  of  solemn  things,  because  if  you 
get  uneasy,  and  begin  cutting  up  any  didos, 
this  board '11  slip,  and  you'll  go  down,  slam 
banof." 

Tommy  solemnly  promised  that  he  would  n't 
move,  folded  his  arms,  and  sat  up  stiff  and  still 
as  a  statue. 

The  first  class  called  was  our  grammar  class. 

Homer  usually  sits  first  on  the  recitation  seat, 
and  he  had  been  all  the  morning  studying  up 
the  first  questions,  and  preparing  to  show  off; 
but  when  the  class  was  called,  what  should 
Cynthia  Strong  do  but  establish  herself  on  that 
end  seat !  Home  motioned  and  motioned  to 
her  to  move  along  ;  but  she  would  n't  budge  an 
inch,  and  poor  Home  had  to  take  his  place 
second. 

Cynthia  recited  through  all  the  first  part,  and 
then  Home  was  called  up.  He  had  on  an  up- 
right pointed  collar,  that  stuck  into  his  throat, 
and  made  him  look  as  if  choking,  while  his 
green  necktie  gave  him  a  jaundice-y  appearance. 

"  Homer,  what  is  a  noun  ?  "  asked  the  master. 


EXAMINATION  AND   EXHIBITION.  205 

"A  noun  — "  gasped  Homer;  ''ti  noun  is  — 
a  noun  shows  whether  it's  first,  second,  or  thh'd 
persons." 

"What  are  the  properties  of  nouns,  Homer?'' 

"The  properties  of  nouns  — "  said  Homer, 
"are  three:  mascuhne,  feminine,  common,  and 
neuter." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  the  number  of  a 
noun  ?  " 

"The  number  of  a  noun  shows  how  many 
j)arts  it's  divided  into,  whether  first,  second,  or 
third." 

"That'll  do,"  said  the  master. 

Homer  sat  down,  looking  as  if  he  'd  done 
credit  to  his  instructions,  however  it  might  bo 
with  the  remainder  of  the  class. 

Will  came  next,  and  the  master  began  putting 
the  same  questions  to  him.  He  immediately 
took  the  subject  of  nouus  into  his  own  hands, 
as  if  a  noun  was  a  kind  of  toy  with  which  he 
was  perfectly,  familiar ;  told  all  he  knew  and 
more  too,  and  wound  up  With  the  declension  of 
a  noun  in  a  fall,  clear  voice. 

The  spectators  exchanged  approving  glances. 


206  WE  BOYS. 

Will  is  a  wonderful  boy  for  examinations. 
Pie  don't  have  remarkable  lessons  durins:  term 

O 

time ;  but  when  examination  comes,  the  excite- 
ment of  having  visitors  in  school  just  fires  him 
up,  and  everything  he  ever  studied,  read,  or 
heard,  comes  to  him.  Compan}-  affects  me  and 
most  of  the  other  boys  in  a  diiferent  way,  and 
we  forget  everything  we  ever  knew. 

By  the  time  our  geography  was  called,  the 
room  was  full  of  visitors.  Oh,  how  I  did  wish 
I  was  one  of  them  !  "Will,  who  is  always  veiy 
polite  on  such  occasions,  carried  his  geography 
to  the  committee,  and  his  boots  went  squeak, 
squeak,  sqiieah,  all  the  way  out.  Mr.  Pomeroy 
shook  his  head  as  if  his  geographical  informa- 
tion had  been  called  in  question,  and  Will 
squeaked  back  again. 

The  master  first  examined  us  on  Europe. 
Then  Mr.  Pomeroy  began  with  his  questions. 

"For  what  is  Vienna  noted?" 

"For  the  lovely  palace  of  Schonbruuu,"  re- 
plied Will. 

"For  being  situated  on  a  great  number  of 
small  islands,"  corrected  Mr.  Pomeroy. 


EXAMINATION  AND    EXHIBITION.  207 

"Aren't  you  tliiiikiiig  of  Venice,  sir?"  asked 
Will,  respectfully. 

VxV.  Poii]croy  ackno^Tlcdgccl  that  he  was  think- 
ing' of  Venice,  and  Will  got  credit  for  knovring 
more  than  the  counnittce. 

AMien  we  came  on  to  Africa,  ^\  ill  bounded 
Soudan,  and  named  its  provinces  with  great  ac- 
curacy and  distinctness. 

"Now  bound  the  State  of  New  York,"  said 
Mr.  Eoyce. 

"  We  don't  take  York  State  this  term,  sir," 
said  Cynthia. 

Will  blundered  through  the  boundary,  though, 
and  j\Ir.  Roycc  smiled,  and  said  we  'd  better 
perfectly  understand  the  geography  of  our  own 
country  before  we  went  on  to  Soudan.  There- 
upon Will  woke  up,  and  bounded  the  state  over 
again,  mentioned  the  lakes,  rivers,  and  moun- 
tains, named  and  located  the  principal  towns, 
gave  heights,  lengths,  and  breadths,  and  went 
iuto  details  generally  with  an  case  and  a  fluency 
that  brouglit  down  the  house,  and  astonished  no 
one,  I  think,  so  much  as  himself.  Mr.  Eoyce 
joined  in  the  applause. 


208  WE  BOYS. 

We  went  oil  to  Oceanica,  and  Homer  told 
how  the  natives  of  the  Friendly  Isles  killed  and 
ate  Captain  Cook.  That 's  Home's  standard 
item  on  Oceanica.  He  may  forget  everything 
else,  but  he  never  forgets  that  the  natives  of  the 
Friendly  Isles  killed  and  ate  Captain  Cook. 

When  our  arithmetic  was  called,  Will  looked 
and  acted  as  if  he  could  recite  riijht  through  the 
book,  from  numeration  to  mensuration,  without 
pausing.  To  have  heard  him  reel  otT  the  rule 
for  partial  payments,  one  wouldn't  have  sus- 
pected but  that  he  could  perform  the  examples 
as  easily  as  any  in  simple  addition. 

Mr.  Royce  questioned  us  on  interest,  ISlr. 
Pomeroy  on  fractions.  Fractions  are  ^Ir. 
Pomeroy's  hobby.  We  finished  them,  and  were 
examined  on  them  last  term,  but  they  had  to  be 
raked  up  again.  He  said  he  would  ask  a  feAv 
practical  questions,  and  after  he  was  through 
with  his  practical  questions,  he  said  he  would 
like  to  have  William  Bradley  write  a  few  deci- 
mals on  the  board, 

"  You  may  write,"  said  he,  "one  million  one 
hundred  thousand   and  one;    one  million,  one 


EXAMINATION  AND    EXHIBITION.  209 

huiiclred  thousand,  one  hundred  and  one  tril- 
lionths." 

Will  was  standmg  by  me,  and  he  fairly 
grcjaned  out  at  that.  He 's  always  in  a  muddle 
about  writing  decimals,  and  for  my  part,  I  don't 
know  who  is  n't.  He  dashed  down  ones  and 
ciphers,  and  when  he  had  quite  a  string  of  them, 
began  rubbing  out  some,  and  putting  in  others, 
affixing,  prefixing,  and  fixing  in  the  middle 
until  it  was  in  a  general  jumble.  Finally  he 
made  a  dab  with  the  chalk  for  a  decimal  point, 
and  besran  readius:. 

Mr.  Pomeroy,  who,  through  his  glasses,  had 
overlooked  all  operations,  said  he  was  n't  read- 
ing it  aright,  and  if  he  did  read  it  right, 
'twas  n't  what  he  was  told  to  set  down.  Then 
Mr.  Pomeroy  tried  to  read  what  was  on  the 
board,  and  to  tell  what  ought  to  be  there,  and 
to  help  fix  it.  Will  maintained  that  what  he 
gave  out  now  was  n't  what  he  gave  out  the  first 
time,  and  they  both  grew  confused.  They 
could  n't  agree  on  what  the  original  number 
was,  nor  on  what  they  had  written,  nor  on  what 
they  wanted  to  write,  and  they  grew  more  and 
14 


210  WE  noi's. 

more  confused,  and  neither  of  them  knew  what 
the  other  was  talking  about,  nor  what  he  him- 
self was  talldng  about.  Mr.  Pomeroy  had 
grown  red  in  the  face,  Will  had  come  to  that 
point  Avhere,  according  to  'Bijah  Whittlesey, 
"  he  's  as  sot  as  a  mule  *' ;  and  there 's  no  know- 
ing what  they  would  have  come  to,  hadn't  the 
master  interposed. 

"It's  some  time  since  the.  boy  studied 
decimals.  Perhaps  1  'd  better  give  him  a 
problem  elsewhere,"  said  he,  in  his  blandest 
tones. 

Mr.  Pumeroy  straightened  himself  up,  and 
said  perhaps  the  boy  had  better  have  a  problem 
elsewhere ;  he  tvas  rather  bewildered ;  and, 
between  them  both,  they  set  "the  boy"  at  work. 

Then  came  Tommy  Taylor  to  the  board. 
(He  isn't  in  our  class,  but  this  day  he  was 
reciting  with  us.)  He  took  his  place  between 
AVill  and  I,  and  gave  a  sympathetic  grin  to 
each  of  us.  As  soon  as  he  had  read  over  his 
ex:mple,  he  ran  up  his  hand,  and  said  he,  — 

"This  ain't  the  example  I  did  this  morning." 

Will  snatched  his  hand  down. 


EXAMINATION  AND   EXHIBITION.  211 

"Don't  you  know  beans,  Tommy?"  whispered 
he. 

But  Tommy  will  do  just  as  he 's  a  mind  to. 
He  twitched  away  his  hand,  and  hoisted  it  up 
again. 

"Please,  sir,"  drawled  he,  "this  ain't  my 
example." 

"Perform  the  example  that's  assigned  you, 
or  else  take  your  seat,"  retorted  the  master, 
flushing  up. 

After  this  recitation  we  had  nothing  more  to 
do  except  listen  to  the  large  scholars.  Sue 
Yallandigham  got  so  uneasy,  she  began  writing, 
tipped  the  ink  over  on  her  white  apron,  and 
had  to  "  g  'wout "  in  a  state  of  great  agitation. 

Just  after  the  scholarship  reports  were  read, 
a  dead  silence  fell  in  the  room,  and  Ed  Ham- 
mond stepped  forward  and  presented  the  master 
with  our  "  testimonial  of .  affectionate  esteem." 
This  year  our  "  testimonial "  was  a  beautifully 
finished  angler's  rod,  and  a  case  containing  all 
varieties  and  sizes  of  what  Home  called  "  trout 
and  sucker  tools."  Ed  made  an  excellent 
speech  that  set  everybody  laughing,  the  mas- 


212  WE  BOYS. 

ter  made  a  funny  reply,  and  the  solemn  awfid- 
ness  of  examination  day  was  a  good  deal 
broken  up. 

Nothing  then  remained  but  the  remarks. 
How  I  do  hate  the  remarks  ! 

Tommy  Taylor  grew  restless,  and  began 
fidgeting  in  a  way  that  was  dangerous.  Will 
tried  to  stop  him,  but  he  would  keep  ^vriggling 
and  twisting. 

" Tommy,"  whispered  Will,  at  last,  "I've  a 
big  fish-hook — a  pickerel  hook — in  my  pocket, 
and  if  you  don't  sit  stiller,  I  '11  hook  it  into  you 
and  hold  you  still." 

Upon  that  Tommy  quieted  down  a  little. 

Mr.  Pomeroy  made  the  closing  remarks,  and 
addressed  himself  particularly  to  the  large  boys 
and  girls  who  were  not  to  return.  He  was  at 
the  most  pathetic  point,  and  the  girls  were 
weeping,  when  Tommy  gave  a  most  agonizing 
wriggle,  his  board  slipped,  and  down  he  went 
with  a  crash.  He  struck  against  the  iron 
standard  of  the  desk,  cut  his  lips,  and  set  up  a 
howl.  When  he  saw  the  blood  running  he 
thought  he  was  killed,  and  screamed  worse  than 


EXAMINATION  AND   EXHIBITION.  213 

ever.  Will  clapped  his  hand  over  his  mouth, 
and  dragged  him  out.  That  little  accident 
interrupted  the  flow  of  speech-making,  and  we 
were  soon  dismissed. 

In  the  evening,  we  had  in  the  hall  a  very 
good  exhibition  of  tableaux  and  dialogues.  Once 
in  a  while,  we  small  boys  were  brought  on  the 
stage  to  fill  up  a  background,  but  most  of  the 
time  we  were  employed  in  carrying  messages 
between  the  boys'  and  the  girls'  dressing-rooms 
or  in  running  on  errands  outside. 

The  dressing-rooms  were  small,  the  actors 
numerous,  and  things  much  mixed.  Two  fairies 
had  a  bitter  quarrel  about  their  wands.  The 
beautiful  princess  had  the  headache,  and  was 
smelling  camphor,  and  the  pooi*  but  honest  youth 
who  was  to  win  her  said  he  'd  be  hanged  if  he  'd 
brought  his  handkerchief.  Louis  XVI  appro- 
priated the  costume  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte, 
Marie  Antoinette  could  n't  find  her  pearl  neck- 
lace, and  the  Empress  Josephine  set  up  a  weep- 
ing and  a  wailing,  because  some  one  had  tipped 
a  bottle  of  perfumery  on  her  lavender  silk  robe. 

Will  and  I  were  despatched  to  the  nearest 


214  WE  BOYS. 

neighbors  to  dry  the  lavender  robe,  and  when 
we  returned  there  vras  no  one  in  the  l)0}'s'  dress- 
ing-room but  Home.  He  said  the  other  boys 
were  either  on  the  stage  or  among  the  audience. 
He  appeared  flurried,  and  his  breath  smelled 
of  medicine. 

Will  beijan  clearincj  out  a  chair  to  sit  down 
upon.  He  gave  a  toss  to  an  old  revolver  of 
Xapoleon  Bonaparte's,  and  it  fell  on  the  table, 
shivering  a  small  hand-mirror  of  Harry  Blakes- 
lee's. 

"Jerusalem !"  ejaculated  Will. 

''  There 's  a  dollar  and  a '  half  out  of  your 
pocket,"  said  Home,  composedly. 

"  Just  my  luck,"  replied  Will,  as  he  picked 
up  the  broken  glass.  "So  surely  as  I  get  my 
debts  paid  up,  and  a  liitle  somethiug  ahead,  so 
that  I  can  begin  to  enjoy  life,  I  smash  up  some- 
thing or  other,  and  have  to  rake  and  scrape, 
plan  and  pinch,  to  pay  damages." 

"Look  here.  Will,"  said  Homo,  glancing 
around  him,  and  speaking  low,  "leave  the  pistol 
as  it  fell,  and  we'll  go  out  among  the  audience. 
I}i  a  minute  or  two  there  'U  be  a  dozen  or  more 


EXAMINATION  AND    EXHIBITION.  215 

boys  in  here  turning  things  over  and  throwing 
them  around,  and  by  the  time  Harry  finds  his 
gkiss  broken,  be  '11  be  as  likely  to  suspect  some 
one  else  as  you." 

Will  faced  around  upon  Home. 

"I  wonder.  Homer  Sharpe,"  said  he,  "if  you 
think  I  'd  do  that  thing  !  You  have  a  high  opin- 
ion of  me,  haven't  you?'  You  think  I'm  a 
brave  sort  of  a  boy,  don't  you?" 

Will  looked  so  angry  and  excited  I  w^as  afraid 
w^e  w^ere  going  to  have  a  quarrel,  but  just  then 
the  boys  from  the  stage  came  crowding  in. 

"  Harry,"  said  Will,  as  soon  as  he  had  an  op- 
portunity, "  I  've  done  something  you  will  think 
ouffht  to  send  me  to  the  reform  school."  . 

"Don't  doubt  it,"  said  Harry,  turning  over  a 
pile  of  clothes  in  the  corner. 

W^ill  explained,  and  Harry  took  it  quite  coolly. 
We  were  both  much  relieved,  for  Harry  is  n't 
ahvays  sweet-tempered,  and  we  had  expected  he 
would  storm. 

Another  scene  en  the  stage  was  soon  arranged, 
and  the  dressing-room  was  thinned  out. 

"I  should  like  to  know,"  said  Gustus  Hill- 


216  WE  noYS. 

man,  who  had  remained,  "what  has  become  of 
my  troches.  I  left  a  full  box  on  the  table,  and 
there  aren't  half  a  dozen  here  now." 

I  remembered  just  then  how  Home's  breath 
had  smelled.  He  was  now  holdinir  a  bis:  coloijne 
b.;ttle  to  his  nose,  and  didn't  appear  to  hear  a 
word  of  what  was  being  said. 

"Well,"  said  Ike,  giving  Gustus  a  wink,  "if 
anybody  has  eaten  all  those  troches,  he's  a 
dead  mau  !  " 

Homer  dropped  the  cologne-bottle  stopper  he 
had  begun  licldng. 

"  Oh-h  ! "  exclaimed  Gustus,  greatly  distressed, 
"  I  hope  no  one  has  eaten  them.  One  is  a  dose 
for  a  full-grown  mau  !  " 

"Even  now,"  said  Ike,  gravely,  "the  poor 
WTetch  may  be  quietly  sitting  among  the  au- 
dience. If  he  could  but  be  warned  in  season  to 
take  the  antidote  —  " 

"  What  is  the  antidote  ?  "  gasped  Home. 

"Oil,"  replied  Ike,  quickly;  "oil,  promptly 
administered,  and  in  a  dose  sumciently  large  to 
prevent  the  troches  eating  through  the  eplgis- 
iratrum  into  the  pericardium.'^ 


EXAMINATION  AND    EXHIBITION.  217 

Homer  turned  ashy  white,  and  clawed  at  the 
pit  of  his  stomach. 

"  They  've  begun  eating  a'rcady,"  groaned  he. 

"  Have  you  eaten  those  troches  ?  "  demanded 
Ike,  seizing  Home  by  the  shoulder.  "Tell  me, 
Homer  Sharpe,  have  you  eaten  those  troches?" 

Home  tremblingly  acknowledged  that  he  had. 

"And  they  were  tlie  real  bronchial  troches, 
made  out  of  the  strongest  kind  of  bronchia! 
Tell  me  quick.  Home,  do  you  feel  any  irrita- 
tion of  the  {esophagus  or  oscillation  of  the 
epiglottis  ?  " 

"Yes,  yes,"  groaned  Home,  "the  pepper- 
glottis  is  bad  —  they  've  begun  eating  —  I  feel 
'em.  Has  n't  anybody  any  oil,  —  not  any  kind 
of  oil?" 

"Kerosene?"  said  Ike,  looking  at  Gustus. 

Gustus  shook  his  head  at  Ike. 

"  There  's  a  bottle  of  what  druggists  call 
'bear's  grease'  at  the  bottom  of  my  trunk,  over 
there.    You  get  that  out,  Ike,  while  I  rub  him." 

"  Do  you  think  he  '11  die,  Will  ?  "  asked  I. 

"Just  you  hold  on  for  a  while,  Bob.  Home 
is  alwjiys  eating  things  and  med  lling  with  what 


218  WE  BOYS. 

don't  belong  to    him.      Let  the   boys  manage 
him." 

"A^ow,  Home,"  said  Gustus,  taking  the  cork 
out  of  the  bottle,  "this  is  a  hair-dressing  abom- 
ination I  Vc  had  two  years,  and  the  druo-o-ist 
had  a  year  before  me.  It  won't  be  very  pleas- 
ant to  take." 

Home  said  he  didn't  care  for  that;  he  could 
stand  anything  but  this  gnawing.  He  took  the 
bottle,  and  had  swallowed  one  half  its  contents, 
when  Gustus  snatched  it  away. 

"Don't  let  us  kill  you.  Home,"  said  he. 
"Are  you  sure   I've  taken  enough?"  asked 
Home,  with  tears  in  his  eyes. 

A  regretful  look  came  over  Gustus's  f\ice,  and 
he  did  n't  reply  ;  but  Ike  answered  briskly  that 
the  oil  was  sure  to  soften  and  neutralize  the  effect 
of  the  troches,  and  that,  being  bear's  oil,  it  Avas 
peculiarly  calculated  to  counteract  the  o-nawino-. 
He  hustled  Home  on  to  a  trunk,  and  ordered 
him  to  lie  flat  on  his  back,  while  he  piled  on 
overcoats  enough  to  induce  perspiration. 

The  little  room  was  close  and  hot,  and  by  the 
time  the  boys  came  in  from  the  stage.  Home 


EXAMINATION  AND   EXHIBITION.  219 

was  in  a  pretty  moist  condition,  and  groaning 
with  nausea.  Iko  explained  his  condition,  and 
Ed  Hammond  turned  on  his  heels  and  walked 
away ;  but  the  other  boys  questioned  Homo  in 
regard  to  his  feelings,  and  suggested  things  he 
had  better  take.  Home  answered  them  in  a 
faint  voice,  and  lay  with  his  eyes  closed.  He 
said  the  gnawing  had  ceased,  but  he  had  a 
deathly  kind  of  feeling  inside. 

"Of  course,"  said  Ike,  "it's  the  troches 
dying  off  from  the  effects  of  the  oil." 

Ike  had  to  go  on  the  stage  in  the  next  tab- 
leau, and  before  going  he  pronounced  Home 
out  of  damper. 

Home  crawled  out  into  the  audience-room, 
and  lounged  on  the  end  of  a  settee,  where, 
later  in  the  evening,  I  saw  him  trading  off  slate 
pencils  for  sassafras  lozenges. 

Soon  came  on  the  play,  "  Scenes  in  the  Life 
of  the  Hebrew  La^v-givcr." 

Belle  had  fixed  upon  little  Yv^illie  Tucker,  Ike's 
cousin,  for  the  jMoses  ;  but,  before  the  play  came 
on,AMllie  was  fast  asleep  on  a  pile  of  clothes  in 
our  dressinff-rooin. 


220  WE  BOYS. 

"  Don't  you  ^^ake  him  up.  You  let  me  be  the 
infant  Moses,"  said  Will  privately  to  Ike. 

Only  a  few  evenings  before,  Ike  bad  been 
badly  snubbed  by  Miss  Belle.  Here  he  had  an 
opportunity  for  revenge,  and  on  Will's  urging 
the  matter,  he  consented. 

"The  white  dress  that  large-sized  fairy,  Su- 
sannah Vallandigham,  wore  will  fit  me  ;  and  you 
can  tix  on  Willie  Tucker's  pink  sash  and  shoul- 
der knots  to  make  me  look  pretty,"  said  Will. 

I  was  sent  to  borrow  the  dress,  and  having 
an  unusually  amiable  freak.  Sue  gave  it  to  me 
without  a  question.  We  dressed  Will  down  in 
the  basement  uhere  it  was  cold  as  Greenland, 
but  where  none  of  the  boys  could  see  us. 

Then  Ike  wrap[)ed  him  up  in  a  shawl,  and  to- 
gether we  carried  him  on  the  stage  and  laid  him 
in  the  clothes-basket  among  the  cat's-tail  reeds 
that  represented  bulrushes.  Pharaoh's  daugh- 
ter and  maidens  were  so  absorbed  in  arraying 
themselves  that  they  clia  n't  look  afier  the  Moses. 

Belle  inquired  of  Ike  if  Willie  was  reaJy. 
Ike  replied  that  Will  was  ready,  and  the  curtain 
was  rung  up. 


EXAMINATION  AND   EXHIBITION.  221 

Pharaoli's  dauo-hter  and  her  maidens,  lookins; 
very  beautiful,  came  slowly  down  to  the  river's 
bank.  Pharaoh's  daughter,  in  a  very  sweet 
voice,  was  giving  advice  to  her  maidens.  Soon 
a  cry  was  heard  from  amid  the  bulrushes. 

"  List ! "  said  Pharaoh's  daughter,  raising  her 
forefinger.     "I  hear  an  infant's  wail." 

The  train  of  maidens  paused  and  listed. 

"Pa,  ya,  yaT''  v/ent  Will  from  among  the 
reeds. 

"The  sound,  methinks,  proceeds  from  yonder 
tiny  boat  amid  the  reeds.  Advance,  and  dis- 
cover to  me  Avhat  it  may  be.  Perchance  the 
ofispring  of  some  fond  Israelitish  mother  may 
be  saved  from  the  cruel  edict  of  my  father." 

Almina  Harris,  who  was  Maid  No.  1,  advanced 
towards  the  basket.  Almina  had  been  selected 
as  Maid  No.  1,  because  she  was  strong  enough 
in  the  arms  to  bring  forward  the  infant. 

"It  is  a  Hebrew  child,  my  lady;  one  of  the 
accursed  race  which  thy  father  seeks  to  destroy," 
said  she,  drawing  the  mosquito  net  off  the  child's 
face. 

"  Bring  him  hither  !      I  would  myself  behold 


222  WE  BOYS. 

the  innocent,  unjustly  doomed  to  be  cut  off  in 
the  morning  of  iiis  existence." 

Almina  was  too  stupefied  by  what  she  had 
found,  to  reply.  Will  straddled  out  of  the  bas- 
ket, knocked  over  a  good  many  "  cat-tails,"  and 
came  tramping  up  to  Pharaoh's  daughter. 

"Here  I  be,"  said  he. 

There  he  stood,  smiling  tranquilly,  while 
Pharaoh's  daughter  was  aghast. 

Stillness  reigned  for  an  instant,  and  then  the 
audience  l3urst  into  laughter.  The  maidens  ran 
off  the  stage,  and  on  Pharaoh's  daughter  and 
the  infant  Moses  facing  each  other,  the  curtain 
fell  with  a  crash. 

By  the  time  Ike  and  I  got  behind  the  scenes 
again,  the  excitement  was  tremendous.  Pha- 
raoh's daughter  was  in  hysterics,  and  the  maidens 
wanted  Pharaoh  to  execute  the  infant  Moses 
without  further  delay.  When  we  appeared,  a 
general  attack  was  made  upon  Ike,  and  Harry 
Blakeslce,  who  was  Pharaoh,  was  disposed  to 
execute  him  along  Avith  the  infant. 

Ike  coolly  put  on  his  hat,  and  said  he  thought 
he  would  step  out  and  take  the  air.      Will  and  I, 


EXAMINATION  AND   EXHIBITION.  223 

having  returned  the  white  dress  to  the  enraged 
and  sputtering  Susanna,  followed  him. 

The  remaining  scenes  in  the  "Life  of  the 
Hebrew  Law-giver,"  were  dispensed  with.  The 
remaining  plays  and  tableaux  passed  off  without 
anything  particularly  interesting  occurring  be- 
hind the  scenes. 

The  large  scholars,  many  of  whom  are  n't 
coming  back  another  term,  remained  after  the 
audience  had  dispersed,  to  hold  a  farewell  inter- 
view. Will  and  I  remained  to  see  what  it  con- 
sisted in.  It  was  pretty  much  all  weeping  and 
kissing.  They  tried  to  sing  "  Auld  Lang  Syne," 
but  broke  down  on  it,  and  had  more  kissing  and 
weeping,  bade  each  other  good-by,  and  started 
home  in  companies  that  soon  paired  off.  Will 
and  I  made  one  pair. 


224  WE  BOYS. 


CHAPTER     XVI. 

CONCLUSION    BY   ORDER  OF  AUNT  LOVISA. 

SATUKDAY  morning  Aunt  Lovisa  was  ex- 
pecting Mr.  Jackson,  and  there  was  so 
much  sweeping,  dusting,  and  getting  ready  at 
our  house  that  I  could  n't  stand  it,  and  went 
down  to  Mr.  Eradley's  store  for  comfort.  Will 
was  sitting  on  the  counter  swinging  his  legs 
and  holding  a   political  discussion  with  Capt. 

Parker. 

"If 'Lincoln  is  elected  and  slavery  allowed  in 
the  territories,  the  South  will  secede,  and  this 
glorious  Union  will  be  disrupted  !  Hallo,  Bob," 
said  he  patronizingly,  looking  down  upon  me. 

I  sprang  up  beside  him  and  told  him  of  the 
state  of  affairs  at  our  house.  Just  then  the 
train  came  in,  and  pretty  soon  we  saw  a  tall 
man  with  a  portmanteau  pass  the  door. 

"That's  the  man,"  said  I. 

"O  Jerusalem!"  said  Will,  "if  I  was  a  wo- 


CONCLUSION  BY  ORDER  OF  AUNT  L0VI8A.    225 

man,  I  would  as  soon  be  courted  by  a  broom- 
stick." 

"I  like  to  have  him  at  our  house,"  said  I, 
"  for  we  always  have  three  kinds  of  cake  for  tea, 
and  Aunt  Lovisa  passes  the  basket  to  me  every 
time.  Usually  she  thinks  rich  cake  is  bad  for  a 
boy." 

"Let's  go  see  the  meeting,"  said  Will. 

We  ran,  but  we  did  n't  reach  the  house  until 
Aunt  Lovisa  had  taken  him  into  the  parlor. 
All  that  we  in  the  hall  could  hear  was  a  mur- 
mur of  voices. 

Will  put  on  the  shiny  hat,  and,  with  Mr. 
Jackson's  cane,  walked  up  and  down  the  hall 
in  Mr.  Jackson's  stiff  gait,  and  saluted  me 
as  Aunt  Lovisa.  We  had  all  the  fun  we  could, 
and  it  was  all  the  more  fun  because  we  knew 
Aunt  Lovisa  had  sharp  ears,  and  a  loud  titter 
v/ould  bring  her  out. 

"  I  wonder  if  this  is  a  present,"  whispered 
AVill,  taking  up  a  brown-paper  package  that 
seemed  to  hold  a  box.  "  Oh  !  I  know  what  I  '11 
do,"  said  he,  pulling  out  his  pill-box  of  sneezing 
snuff.     I  don't  suppose  there  's  been  a  time  since 

15 


226  WE  BOYS. 

Will  came  out  of  "  knickerbockers "  but  he 's 
carried  sneezing  snuff  in  his  pocket.  He  rubbed 
the  powder  on  both  sides  the  package. 

Just  then  we  heard  steps  approaching  the 
parlor  door,  and  we  dodged  into  the  closet 
under  the  stairs.  The  hat  Will  wore  struck 
against  the  upper  casement  of  the  low  door  and 
rolled  off.  We  had  barely  time  to  get  it  in 
with  us  when  out  came  Mr.  Jackson.  As  he 
went  to  the  table  for  his  package  he  brushed 
past  the  closet,  and  the  door  shut  with  a  snap, 
and  that  door  don't  open  on  the  inside.  I 
didn't  think  of  it  then,  though,  for  I  was  as 
excited  as.  Will  was,  anticipatmg  fun  with  the 
snuff. 

Mr.  Jackson  went  back  to  the  parlor,  and 
"\^'ill  set  me  off  into  giggles  by  saying, "Now  — 
now —  going  to  be^in.  Bob  !  Now  !  " 

When  it  did  begin  I  thou2:ht  I  should  have 
died.  First  came  Aunt  Lovisa  with  little  cat 
sneezes,  a  dozen  at  a  time;  then  Mr.  Jackson, 
in  great  horse  sneezes  that  seemed  to  shake  the 
house ;  tlien  both  together.  We  heard  them 
flying  around,  opening  windows  and  doors,  and 


CONCLUSION  BY  ORDER  OF  AUNT  LOYISA.    227 

Will  said  lie  hoped  they  'd  both  lost  their  hand- 
kerchiefs. 

"  Why,  why  (sneeze),  I  (sneeze)  don't  under- 
stand (sneeze,  sneeze)  what  it  means  (sneeze, 
sneeze,  sneeze),'^  went  Mr.  Jackson. 

^' Cayenne  1^^  gasped  Aunt  Lovisa,  with  a 
dozen  small  sneezes. 

Then  they  both  went  off  in  a  chorus. 

Will  laughed  till  he  tipped  over,  and  he 
tipped  on  to  Mr.  Jackson's  hat.  That  fright- 
ened us,  and  still  we  kept  on  tittering.  There 
seemed  to  be  all  the  coal-hods  and  dust  brushes 
and  pans  in  the  house  in  that  closet,  and  we 
kept  hitting  things  and  knocking  things  down 
and  tumbling  into  things.. 

Finally  the  commotion  in  the  parlor  subsided, 
and  we  began  to  think  about  ourselves.  Will 
tried  opening  the  door-spring  with  a  stove 
poker,  but  could  n't.  We  put  our  shoulders 
against  the  door  and  pushed  with  all  our  might, 
and  Will  tried  to  encourage  me  by  whispering, 
"  Now,  now  !  There  she  goes  !  Give  us  liberty 
or  give  us  death  !  " 

But  she  did  n't  "go,"  and  it  began  to  look  as 


228  WZ  BOYS. 

if  we  should  have  death  for  all  of  liberty.  I  sat 
dowu  in  a  coal-hod  to  take  breath,  and  Will  ou 
a  cricket.  The  cricket  was  an  infirm  one,  its 
four  legs  spread  out  like  a  spider's,  and  down 
he  went.     For  a  half-minute  he  sat  reflecting. 

"Do  let's  scream,"  said  I. 

"No,  I  won't  scream.  Let's  give  her  one 
more  push,"  said  he. 

We  braced  our  backs  against  the  side  of  the 
narrow  closet,  put  our  feet  against  the  door, 
and  pushed  with  all  our  might.  The  spring 
gave  way,  the  door  flew  back  against  the  wall, 
we  boys  went  down  among  the  iron  and  tin 
ware,  and  out  came  Aunt  Lovisa. 

"Ah  !  it 's  ijou,  is  it,  William  Bradley?"  said 
she,  as  if  light  was  breaking  in  upon  her. 
"You  're  the  worst  boy  in  town  ;  and  I  do  think 
Almira  is  just  insane  to  allow  Rob  to  associate 
with  you ! " 

Will  brushed  himself,  swung  the  door  to- 
gether so  as  to  hide  the  hat,  and  walked  oif.  As 
soon  as  Aunt  Lovisa  returned  to  the  parlor,  we 
slipped  back,  took  the  hat,  and  carried  it  up  to 
mother.     Will  confessed  the  whole  aflfair  to  her. 


CONCLUSION  BY  ORDER  OF  AUNT  LOVISA.    229 

"Why,  Willy,  how  could  you?"  said  she. 
"It  was  very  naughty.  I  can't  allow  such  prac- 
tical jokes  in  my  house  ;  I  really  can't." 

She  was,  at  first,  a  good  deal  frightened  about 
the  hat,  but  she  pressed,  and  smoothed,  and 
brushed,  until  it  looked  as  well  as  ever,  and  she 
herself  carried  it  back  and  hung  it  on  the  rack, 
and  Will  went  home. 

After  tea  I  went  down  to  Will's  and  found 
him  lying  on  the  grass  looking  very  dejected. 
He  sa,id  Ed  Hammond  had  been  reproving  him 
for  playing  off  such  jokes  as  he  had  at  the 
exhibition. 

"And  such  as  I've  been  at  again  to-day," 
said  he. 

"  Then  Ed  is  a  prig,"  said  I. 

"No,  he  isn't,  Rob ;  he  only  let  me  know,  in 
that  way  he  has  of  saying  little  and  meaning 
much,  what  he  thought  of  certain  performances, 
and  he  's  right,  Eob .  I  honor  'Bijah  Whittlesey 
and  your  aunt  for  their  opinions  of  me." 

Just  then  up  came  Ed  balancing  the  school- 
house  key  on  his  finger.  He  was  going  after 
his  books. 


230  WE  BOYS. 

"I  'm  sorry  I  gave  you  pain,  Will,"  said  he, 
"  but  I  do  despise  small-boy  tricks.  I  want  you 
to  try  to  overcome  your  propensity  for  them. 
Fun,  like  everytliing  else,  has  its  metes  and 
bounds.  You  're  one  of  the  kind  who  need  to 
think  twice  before  they  act.  Come  over  to  the 
school-house  now.     We  're  friends,  are  n't  we  ?  " 

Ed  reached  down  his  hand  and  Will  grasped  it 
and  rose  by  it,  and  we  went  on  to  the  school  house. 
The  sun  was  shining  in  full  at  the  west  windows, 
but  the  great  school-room  looked  lonely.  Ed 
walked  around  tapping  the  desks  thoughtfully, 
and  a  fly  buzzed  through  the  empty  room. 

"Boys,"  said  Ed  at  length,  "it  will  be  but  a 
little  while  before  you,  too,  will  be  leaving  the 
old  school-room.  It  looks  a  long  way  ahead,  I 
know,  but  you  won't  find  it  so,  and  you  '11  feel 
badly  at  the  last, — you  can't  help  it ;  and  you  '11 
be  full  of  regrets  just  in  proportion  as  you  've 
neglected  those  little  opportunities  for  showing 
kindnesses  that  are  always  coming  up  in  school, 
and  that,  once  let  slip,  never  return.  Now, 
boys,  if  you  want  your  school-days  pleasant  in 
the  retrospect,  you  must  help  each  other." 


CONCLUSION  BY  ORDER  OF  AUNT  LOVISA.    231 

"Well,  Ed  dear,  we  do  mean  to,  but  you  see 
we  don't  thinJc." 

"  Oh !  I  know  that,  but  we  ought  to  think, 
and  I  do  believe  we  may  be  helped  to  remember 
these  things.  I  want  to  make  my  experience  of 
some  use  to  you,  and  I  am  going  to  give  you  a 
little  summary  of  advice. 

"Help  one  another.  Hold  to  the  right  side, 
be  it  never  so  unpopular ;  hold  firmly  and  come 
out  strongly  just  in  proportion  as  you  feel  it  is 
right.  Don't  tease  the  girls,  nor  fret  the  mas- 
ter, nor  shirk  your  lessons.  Despise  sly,  tricky 
ways.  If  you  've  something  that  you  feel  you 
must  do  or  die,  do  it  openly  and  take  your  pen- 
alty like  men." 

"  Amen  ! "  ejaculated  Will.  "We  '11  try,  and 
you  can  once  in  a  while  write  to  us  from  your 
college  off  there,  and  reinforce  your  admonitions 
by  gentle  suggestions." 

We  walked  around  the  room  arm-in-arm  a 
little  while ;  then  Ed  took  out  his  books  and 
strapped  them  up,  and  we  went  out.  In  the 
hall  he  stood  with  his  hand  on  the  door-knob, 
and  took  a  long  survey  of  the  room. 


232  WE  BOYS. 

"  O  Ed  !  "  exclaimed  I,  "  we  Ve  only  just 
found  out  what  a  good  friend  you  are,  and  now 
you  're  never,  never  coming  here  to  school  any 
more  !" 

I  could  n't  keep  back  the  tears.  Ed  laughed, 
pulled  out  his  handkerchief,  and  gave  a  brush 
first  at  my  eyes  and  then  his  own. 

"  Don't  let 's  have  a  farewell  scene  this  even- 
ing," said  Will.  "  We  '11  see  you  again,  Ed. 
Come  on.  Bob." 

W^e  nodded  good-evening  and  ran  for  home. 

Monday  Morning. 

Mr.  Jackson  has  gone,  and  Aunt  Lovisa  is  — 
"  tired  and  nervous,"  mother  says.  She  has  been 
reading  over  this  writing  of  mine,  and  she  says 
it 's  very  silly  and  has  been  a  great  waste  of  time. 

"  Besides,  Almira,"  said  she,  "  he  's  been  using 
up  this  sermon-paper  his  Uncle  Robert  bought 
before  he  went  off  to  California  to  die.  It 's 
perfect  sacrilege ! " 

With  that  she  took  out  what  little  paper  was 
left  in  the  lower  drawer,  and  went  ofi"  with  it. 
I  can  write  no  more. 


HOW  WE  TURN  OUT.  233 


CHAPTER    XVII. 
how  we  turn  out. 

Baywatee,  September,  1876. 
"VTESTERDAY  mother  was  up  garret,  rum- 
--■-  maging  chests,  overturning  barrels,  getting 
stung  by  wasps,  and  having  dreadful  times 
generally,  and  I  had  reached  the  foot  of  the 
stairs  with  spirits  of  ammonia  for  the  stings, 
when  a  manuscript  book  of  yellow  sermon- 
paper  came  fluttering  down  at  my  feet. 

"  There  's  that  kind  of  a  chronicle  you  kept 
when  you  were  a  httle  boy,  Rob.  I  should 
think  you  would  wish  to  preserve  it,"  called 
mother. 

I  set  the  ammonia  down  on  the  stairs,  and 
retired  to  examine  the  book.  I've  concluded 
to  revise  it,  add  a  chapter,  and  petition  a  friend 
of  my  father's,  who  owns  an  interest  in  a  pub- 
lishing house,  to  give  it  to  the  public. 

I  see  that  it  closed  with  Aunt  Lovisa.     It 


234  WE  BOYS. 

may  as  well  resume  with  Aunt  Lovisa.  She 
was  married  the  Thanksgiving  after  my  chroni- 
cle closes,  and  we  not  only  had  ice-cream  and 
cold  chicken  in  abundance,  but  I  was  allowed 
to  invite  in  my  friends,  Charles,  William,  and 
Homer,  and,  to  quote  from  the  latter  classic, 
"  We  had  a  bully  time  of  it." 

Aunt  Lovisa  went  to  Troas  to  live,  and  as 
soon  as  I  realized  that  she  had  left  us  forever,  I 
began  to  suffer  the  pangs  of  remorse. 

Not  a  repentant  word  that  I  uttered,  not  a 
tear-drop  that  I  let  fall,  did  my  mother  fail  to 
ti'ansmit  a  record  of  to  Aunt  Lovisa.  In  course 
of  time  there  came  to  me  a  letter  proffering  my 
aunt's  full  and  free  forgiveness,  and,  what 
seemed  quite  as  much  to  the  point,  enclosing  a 
dollar  bill.  An  intimation  was,  to  be  sure, 
conveyed  that  the  donor  preferred  I  should 
purchase  some  good  and  instructive  book, 
rather  than  spend  the  money  for  an3rthing  "  to 
eat "  ;  but  with  the  advice  of  my  friend  William, 
I  broke  the  bill  into  cocoanut  and  taffy  drops. 

Aunt  Lovisa  has  now  two  boys  of  her  own, 
and  if  Will  and  I  were  ever  such  aggressive, 


now  WE  TURN  OUT.  235 

iutractjxble,  exasperating  little  wretches  as 
these  are,  I  can't  blame  my  aunt  for  having 
wanted  mercy  towards  us  luavily  laden  with 
justice.  The  last  time  they  were  at  our  house, 
the  youngest  screamed  himself  purple  in  the 
face  after  cake. 

"People  don't  know  aw^/thiug  what  it  is  to 
bring  up  a  child  until  they  've  tried  it  for  them- 
selves," said  Aunt  Lovisa. 

Upon  that  she  cuddled  him  up  to  her,  and 
began  feeding  him  preserves. 

Will  is  now  in  Boston,  in  the  employ  of  his 
uncle,  a  prominent  wholesale  dry -goods  dealer, 
and  a  childless  man.  He  has  the  prospect  of 
one  day  being  received  as  a  partner  in  the  firm. 
I  am  still  plodding  away  with  my  father  in  the 
Baywater  bank.  The  first  of  next  ]S'oveml)er  I 
am  to  have  a  good  place  in  the  Sidon  N.  Y. 
Second  National. 

Perhaps  I  can't  •  better  give  an  idea  of  the 
present  status,  absolute  and  relative,  of  us  Bay- 
water  boys,  than  by  giving  an  account  of  my 
last  Spring's  visit  to  Will. 

While  I  was  waiting  at  the  Bayvv^atcr  depot 


236  WE  BOYS. 

on  that  occasion,  in  came  Charlie  Payson,  bound 
west. 

Charlie  is  one  of  the  finest  looking  young 
men  that  ever  came  up  in  these  parts,  and  has 
that  iudesciibable  but  never-to-be-mistaken  air 
which  distinguishes  a  man  from  those  depend- 
ent, drifting,  going-to-the  dogs  class  of  fellows 
one  meets  at  every  turn.  He  had  come  from 
Chicago  only  the  day  before. 

"  You  make  a  short  visit,"  said  I. 

"  Yes  ;  but  I  can't  extend  it.  In  fact,  I  ought 
not  to  have  come  at  all,  but  mother  and  Rose 
start  on  their  European  trip  next  week,  and  I 
felt  as  if  I  must  just  run  home  and  say  good- 
by." 

"  You  are  getting  to  be  the  Western  man  of 
business,  always  pressed  for  time,  are  you, 
then?" 

"Yes,  I  am,  Rob.  I  've  got  a  good  start  for  a 
youngster,  but  if  a  young  man  is  going  to  make 
any  place  for  himself  in  the  world,  with  all  this 
rush  and  competition  on  all  sides  of  him,  he 
can't  very  often  let  up  for  a  play-day." 

"The  old  wheelbarrow,  Payson's  Express,  and 


HOW  WE  TURN  OUT.  237 

the  black  horse  have  retired  from  active  service, 
I  suppose." 

"Yes.  I  've  more  regard  for  that  old  wheel- 
barrow, though,  than  for  auy  other  piece  of  in- 
animate matter  between  the  two  oceans.  If  ever 
I  get  to  be  a  prominent  business  man,  I  '11  trun- 
dle it  out  and  I'll  say  to  the  boj^s,  'There, 
young  men ;  there 's  the  foundation  of  my  suc- 
cess in  life  ! '  You  see,  Eob,  I  stuck  to  that 
thing  night  and  morning,  day  in  and  day  out, 
until  I  earned  enough  to  buy  the'  old  horse  and 
wagon.  After  that  I  laid  up  money,  and  when 
I  started  for  Chicago  the  day  I  was  twenty-one, 
I  took  with  me  a  capital  that  I  would  n't  have 
exchanged  for  a  gift  of  thousands  from  my  fa- 
ther. There  are  some  things  worth  more  to  a 
young  man  starting  in  business  than  money, 
you  know  that,  Eob." 

I  said  something  about  his  father's  abundant 
resources. 

"Father  has  over  and  over  again  offered  to 
help  me,  but  I  don't  want  it.  If  I  can't  Avalk, 
I  "11  squat ;  but  I  won't  go  hobbling  along  on 
borrowed  crutches.     No,   sir;    when  I  dehver 


238  WE  BOYS. 

my  grand  Yv'lieelbaiTow  lecture,  I  shall  say, 
'Learu  first  to  use  your  own  legs,  boys,  and 
then  stap.d  on  them ;  dop't  be  askuig  the>  loan 
of  some  one  else's.'  " 

"  Gustus  Hillman  is  in  Chicago,  isn't  he?" 
asked  I. 

"Yes;  Gustus  has  worked  his  way  up  from 
a  local  reporters  place  to  a  sub-editorship 
on  the  '  Trumpet,'  and  he  has  an  outlook 
on  something  higher.  He  has  every  now  and 
then  a  turn  of  despondency  when  no  one's 
trials  and  discouragements  are  like  his  own ; 
but  he  has  the  good  sense  never  to  write  his 
articles  in  blue  ink.  When  he  comes  out 
of  the  depths,  he 's  in  fine  feather,  and  is 
wonderfully  popular  with  his  professional 
brethren." 

The  down-train  whistled  just  then  and  we 
took  leave  of  each  other. 

It  rained  a  little  that  morning,  and  about 
twenty-five  miles  this  side  of  Boston  there 
entered  the  car  a  female  figure,  heavily  draped 
with  damp  water-proof  cloth  and  enveloped 
about  the  head  with  blue  bereire.     She  seated 


HOW  WE  TURN  OUT.  239 

herself  by  me,  and  as  she  removed  her  veil, 
whisked  the  water-drops  in  my  face.  I  recog- 
nizedran  old  acquaintance. 

"Miss  Vallandigham,"said  I. 

"  Mr.  Brown,"  responded  she. 

It  was  Sue.  She  had  become  a  temperance 
lecturess,  and  I  was  interested  in  getting  her 
report  of  herself.  She  said  she  had  been 
lecturing  three  seasons,  ever  since  the  family 
left  Bay  water ;  that  she  drew  respectably  sized 
houses,  and  her  receipts  paid  her  expenses  and 
left  her  fair  wages,  nothing  more. 

I  felt  sorry  for  her.  She  had  lectured  the 
previous  evening,  and  had  an  engagement  for 
the  coming  evening,  and  she  looked  disheart- 
ened and  seemed  to  be  in  a  peculiarly  limp, 
starchlcss  condition.  It  must  be  discourao-iuo;, 
—  trying  to  reform  mankind  in  the  bulk,  w^hen 
so  many  of  her  sex  lamentably  fail  with  the 
individual  specimen. 

At  a  smoky  little  station  she  left  to  take  the 
stage,  and  as  I  saw  her  steaming  water-proof 
shut  into  the  crowded  vehicle,  I  wished  in  my 
heart,  for  the   hundredth  time,  that   §Q   many 


240  WE   BOYS. 

human  beings  did  n't  make  mistakes  in  finding' 
out  for  what  they  're  fitted  in  life. 

I  had  a  number  of  errands  to  discharge  in 
Boston,  and  did  n't  get  around  to  Will's  quar- 
ters until  nearly  dark.  I  found  him  quite 
luxuriously  established.  His  parlor  was  large 
and  fine,  and  had  a  wonderfully  home-like, 
social  look,  —  books  and  pictures,  a  piano  and 
violin,  statuar}^,  plants  in  the  windows,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing,  I  must  have  betrayed  ray 
surprise,  for  after  a  while  Will  said,  "This 
establishment  is  uncle's.  Aunt  comes  down 
with  a  servant  once  or  twice  a  week,  and 
gives  it  those  little  feminine  touches  we  read  so 
much  about,  but  which  janitors  and  chamber- 
maids, in  some  way,  never  seem  to  get  the 
knack  of.  You  '11  by  and  by  see  to  what  use 
we  put  it." 

Before  lighting  up  the  room.  Will  put  fresh 
coal  on  his  fire,  and  we  sat  down  for  a  talk. 
Will  told  me  how  fortunate  he  had  been  in 
pleasing  his  uncle,  and  how  he  had  every  year 
laid  up  a  part  of  his  salary.  I  told  him  how  I 
came  to  oltam  the  place  in  Sidon,  what  salary 


now  WE  TURN  OUT.  241' 

I  was  to  have,  where  I  was  to  board,  when  I 
was  ofoino-  to  take  Nellie  Rovce  there,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing.  I  gave  him  the  Baywater 
news  and  all  the  personal  gossip  of  the  town. 

"  Home  and  Cynthia  continue  to  live  harmo- 
niously, do  they?"  asked  he. 

"  Oh,  beautifully  !  Home  runs  the  tin-shop, 
as  did  his  father,  while  Cynthia's  dress-making 
and  millinery  establishment  eclipses  anything 
outside  the  cities." 

"  Home  sent  me  an  invitation  to  the  wed- 
ding," said  Will.  "  I  had  n't  seen  Cynthia  f  r 
some  time,  and  when  she  swept  into  church  in 
her  white  silk  and  laces,  I  never  was  so  com- 
pletely astonished  in  my  life.  She  was  fairly 
queenly  !  And  there  was  Home,  standing  at 
least  three  inches  highei*  in  his  baots  than  usual, 
and  looking  as  if  he  thought  every  man  in  the 
church  was  dying  with  envy.  And  to  think  of 
the  way  he  and  1  used  to  tease  that  girl  — 't  was 
too  funny  !  " 

"I  sometimes  contrast  her  executive  abilities 
with  those  of  some  men  of  her  years,  —  Tommy 
Taj'-lor's,  f  )r  instance,"  said  I, 
IG 


242  WE  BOTS. 

"  That  reminds  me  of  something  I  never  told 
you.  At  the  time  of  my  last  and  only  visit  to 
the  Baywater  High  School,  four  or  five  years 
ago,  Tommy  was  in  the  upper  class,  and  had  that 
day  taken  his  first  lesson  in  Virgil.    He  read,  — 

"'^rma  virumque  cano,  Ti'ojce,'  etc. 

"Then  soberly  and  seriously  translated  it, — 

" '  A  man  took  a  dog  in  his  arms  and  went  to 
Troy.'" 

"  That 's  a  fair  sample  of  Tommy.  He  went 
to  San  Francisco  a  month  or  two  ago,  to  take  a 
situation  an  uncle  had  offered  him,  and  he  1. ought 
a  ticket  for  the  Isthmus  r-)ute,  because  his  uncle 
fifteen  years  ago  went  by  the  Isthmus  route. 
If  San  Francisco  don't  2,1  ve  some  of  his  ideas  a 
shaking  up  I  shall  be  very  much  surprised." 

"The  most  comfort-taking  man  in  Baywater," 
said  I,  "  is  Ike  Tucker.  He  is  head  machinist 
in  one  of  the  shops,  has  run  two  or  three  pat- 
ents through  the  office,  and  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining as  much  for  them  as  he  expended.  He 
married  Almina  Harris,  you  know." 

"And  of  his  two  sons,  one  is  named  Isaac 
Edward,  and  one  Gustus  William,"  said  Will. 


HOW  WE  TURN  OUT.  243 

"I  went  to  see  Ed  Hammond  last  fall,"  con- 
tinued Will.  "I  owe  a  great  deal  to  Ed,  and 
he 's  grand,  Rob  !  he 's  a  man  to  measure  by.  ' 
He  's  down  there  on  the  Maine  coast  with  a  large 
consrreffation  of  sailors,  fishermen,  and  lumber- 
men,  — as  rough  a  looking  set  as  ever  you  saw. 
He  went  at  first  as  missionary  or  something  of 
that  sort,  with  no  idea  of  staying,  but  he  fairly 
built  up  a  church  there,  and  now  I  suppose  he 
couldn't  be  induced  to  leave.  In  the  warm 
season  the  city  visitors  in  that  vicinity  come  in 
to  hear  him,  and  a  few  months  ago  he  received 
an  offer  of  a  larger^  salary, —  a  call  to  a  wider 
sphere  of  usefulness,  I  mean,  in  a  Portland 
church,  wealthy,  cultivated,  fashionable  au- 
dience, and  all  that,  but  he  declined;  said  he 
did  n't  know  but  souls  on  the  coast  were  worth 
as  much  as  souls  in  the  city.  That's  Ed  all 
through." 

Steps  were  heard  on  the  stairs,  and  Will  sprang 
up  and  lighted  the  gas.  In  a  minute  a  couple 
of  young  men  entered,  and  these  were  soon  fol- 
lowed by  four  or  five  others.  They  appeared 
to  be  expected,  and  AVill  immediately  entered 


241  WE  BOYS. 

upon  their  entertainment,  rather  they  entertuned 
themselves.  Conversation,  reading,  and  music 
followed  each  other  naturally.  Later  in  the 
evening,  more  mental  exhilaration  appeared 
than  I  ever  before  saw  whore  I  was  sure  there 
had  been  no  artificial  stimulus.  "When  the  party 
took  leave,  ^ne  of  the  number  invited  the  others 
around  to  his  quarters  for  the  next  evening. 
AYill  let  them  into  the  street. 

"  Have  n't  we  had  a  good  time  ?  "  asked  he,  as 
he  came  back.  "  Auntie  is  all  the  time  cudgel- 
ling her  brains  for  jihilanthropic  schemes,  and 
within  a  year  or  two  she 's  been  studying  up  on 
'Duties  of  Employer?  to  Their  Employees.' 
She  invites  all  the  subordinates  connected  with 
the  store  to  tea  two  or  three  times  a  year ;  but 
that  she  thinks  don't  amount  to  much,  and  she 
has  taken  up  the  idea  of  furnishing  a  pleasant 
parlor,  which  is  open  to  all,  and  over  which  I  am 
to  preside.  So  far  it  has  worked  well.  Some 
of  the  boys  come  in  every  few  evenings.  Some- 
ti-mes  auntie  sends  down  refreshments  or  comes 
down  with  two  or  three  young  lady  friends, 
musical  perhaps.     Our  entertainments  are  varied 


HOW  WE  TUBN  OUT. 


245 


as  the  times,—  reading,  music,  informal  discus- 
sions, burlesques  of  operatic  and  oratorical 
performances,  anything  that  comes  up.  We 
have  a  general  aim  to  gather  improvement  with 
our  amusement,  and  to  cultivate  a  kind  of  fra- 
ternal interest  in  .each  other." 

Will  then  began  telling  me  of  his  experiences 
in  the  city,  and  giving  sketches  and  incidents, 
through  which  I  saw  that  all  his  old  spirit  and 
enthusiasm,  though  directed  in  different  chan- 
nels from  that  in  his  boyish  days,  had  not  abated 
one  whit. 

Sunday  I  went  to  church  with  Will  in  the 
morning  and  out  to  his  mission  class  in  the 
afternoon,  and  we  had  a  long  visit  in  the  even- 
ing sitting  by  the  open  coal  fire  in  his  room, 
Will,  through  all,  bright  and  original  as  ever. 
He  wound  up  saying,  "After  all.  Bob,  I  more 
and  more  strongly  feel  that  whatever  the  inci- 
dents and  accidents  of  our  lives  may  be,  only 
as  they  strengthen  our  feet  in  the  path  of  Duty 
and  lead  us  into  communion  with  the  Right, 
are  they  valuable." 
"  Amen  ! "  responded  I. 


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